Saskatoon-based lawyer and author Tom Molloy, who was the Canadian government's chief negotiator during talks that led to the creation of Nunavut, has been appointed Saskatchewan’s next lieutenant-governor.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Molloy’s appointment Monday.

“Mr. Molloy is an outstanding negotiator who has played a central role in numerous agreements and treaty settlements with Indigenous Peoples,” Trudeau said in a news release. “His contributions are felt from coast to coast to coast, and have helped reshape this country. He is an excellent choice as Saskatchewan’s next Lieutenant Governor, and I know that he will represent the people of this province well.”

Molloy, who holds a bachelor of arts from St. Thomas More College and a bachelor of laws from the University of Saskatchewan, is a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan and practices primarily in the areas of Indigenous and business law.

He served as the University of Saskatchewan’s chancellor from 2001 to 2007; helped negotiate the Nisga’a Final Agreement, the first modern-day treaty in British Columbia; and was the Canadian government’s chief negotiator for the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement, which led to Nunavut’s creation in 1999.

Molloy will replace outgoing Lt.-Gov. Vaughn Solomon Schofield, who was appointed in 2012.