Regina, Saskatchewan — The Saskatchewan legal and political world is expressing deep sorrow following the death of Tony Merchant, a renowned lawyer, former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), and founder of Merchant Law Group. Mr. Merchant passed away at his home in Regina on October 13, 2025, after battling cancer, at the age of 81.
His passing was confirmed by his firm and family, and has prompted widespread tributes — as well as renewed scrutiny — of his decades-long influence on Canadian law, class-action litigation, and public policy.
A storied career across law and politics
Born in Yorkton in 1944, Tony Merchant attended the University of Saskatchewan (law) and the University of Regina (business administration). He was called to the Saskatchewan bar in 1968 and later also joined law societies in Alberta, British Columbia, and even Arizona. His political career included serving as the Liberal MLA for Regina Wascana from 1975 to 1978, and he made several bids for leadership and federal office, without sustained electoral success.
It was in the legal domain, however, that Merchant left his most enduring mark. He founded Merchant Law Group in 1986 and became a prominent figure in class-action litigation. Among his firm’s most notable engagements was representing former students in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, which led to a historic $1.9-billion compensation arrangement. Merchant also led class actions against major corporations such as Loblaws, Home Depot, and more recently, Ticketmaster.
Reactions and reflections
Colleagues and legal observers recalled Merchant as “tenacious,” “visionary,” and at times polarizing. Doug Richardson, a longtime friend and Liberal associate, praised Merchant’s stamina in legal battles: “He would not give up on these causes.” Richardson added that Merchant changed practices around billing and class actions, and inspired many in the profession.
But his career was not without controversy. Merchant’s name emerged in the 2013 Offshore Leaks and later the Panama Papers investigations, revealing transfers of $1.7 million into offshore jurisdictions. He also faced disciplinary proceedings from the Law Society of Saskatchewan in relation to residential school claims, including a suspension in 2012 (later resolved) and appeals regarding alleged professional conduct issues.
Within Regina and beyond, his influence spanned both acclaim and debate — on how far aggressive litigation should go, and how lawyer ethics should be regulated amid high-stakes claims.
Why this matters
Merchant’s passing closes the chapter on one of Saskatchewan and Canada’s most visible legal activists. His career intersected with pivotal national issues: reconciling Indigenous historical injustices, corporate accountability, and the role of class-action law in access to justice.
For the public, his legacy underscores a broader tension: how to balance powerful legal tools for redress with transparent ethical guardrails. As legal scholars and communities assess his contributions, they may also revisit structural reforms in class-action procedure, law society oversight, and the boundaries of litigation as social policy.
Merchant is survived by his wife, Senator Pana Merchant, and their three sons — each of whom followed in his legal footsteps. Memorial plans are underway in Regina, where colleagues and former adversaries alike anticipate a public statement of respect, and a robust conversation about the complex man behind the headlines.
