John McNair is a lawyer who served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to Service New Brunswick (Service NB) between 2009 and 2023. In this role, he was responsible for the interpretation and provision of legal advice on a wide range of issues, including the 28 public acts administered by Service NB, as well as oversight on Service NB memorandums to the Executive Council. Mr. McNair has also been working with Opportunities NB (ONB) as Corporate Secretary since 2009.
Prior to his work with Service NB and ONB, Mr. McNair was a partner in the law firm of Gorman Nason for five years, Chief of Staff in the Office of the Official Opposition for the Province of New Brunswick, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Liberal Association (provincial and federal), and Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of Justice for the Province of New Brunswick from 1998 to 1999.
Mr. McNair started his legal career with the Saint John law firm Clark, Drummie & Company in 1984, advancing to become a partner in the firm, a role he held from 1990 to 1998.
Mr. McNair is actively involved in the community. He is currently a director and treasurer of the Harrison McCain Foundation and has previously served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including Housing Alternatives, Rehabitat, the Saint John YMCA, Junior Achievement (Saint John), Literacy New Brunswick, Symphony New Brunswick, the Saint John branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, the Saint John Airport Authority, the Region 2 Hospital Corporation, the Saint John chapter of wetlands conservation organization Ducks Unlimited, and the Exhibition Association of the City and the County of Saint John.
Mr. McNair holds a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Brunswick.