By Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada and Mrs
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State Visit to the Kingdom of Sweden, by Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada and Mrs. Sharon Johnston Delegation State Visit to the Kingdom of Sweden February 19-23, 2017 Official Delegation State Visit to the Kingdom of Sweden February 19-23, 2017 HIS EXCELLENCY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE DAVID JOHNSTON Governor General of Canada David Johnston was born in Copper Cliff, near Sudbury, Ontario on June 28, 1941, the son of Dorothy Stonehouse and Lloyd Johnston, the retail manager of a local hardware store. Following the family’s move to Sault Ste. Marie, he attended Sault Collegiate Institute and played under-17 hockey with future hockey hall of famers Phil and Tony Esposito. Mr. Johnston went on to attend Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963, twice being selected to the All-American hockey team on his way to being named to Harvard’s athletic hall of fame. He later obtained Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Cambridge and Queen’s University. In 1964, he married his high school sweetheart, Sharon Johnston, with whom he has five daughters. They are grandparents to 14 grandchildren. Mr. Johnston’s professional career began in 1966 as assistant professor in the Queen’s University law faculty. He moved on to the University of Toronto’s law faculty in 1968, and became dean of Western University’s law faculty in 1974. He was named principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University in 1979, serving for fifteen years before returning to teaching as a full-time professor in the McGill Faculty of Law. In June 1999, he became the fifth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, serving until 2010 when he was asked to serve as Canada’s 28th governor general. Throughout his career, Mr. Johnston has served on numerous provincial and federal task forces and committees, as well as on the boards of a number of public companies. He was president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (now Universities Canada) and of the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec. He was also the founding chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, and he chaired the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the federal government’s Information Highway Advisory Council and was the first non-American to chair Harvard’s Board of Overseers. Mr. Johnston is the author or co-author of more than 25 books, including new editions, and he holds honorary doctorates from more than 25 universities and learning institutions in Canada, China and India. He was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada in 1988 and promoted to companion, the Order’s highest level, in 1997. Since His Installation On October 1, 2010, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston was sworn in as the 28th governor general since Confederation. His motto, CONTEMPLARE MELIORA, meaning “To envisage a better world,” refers to his belief in the abilities of all Canadians to imagine and create a smarter, more caring nation and contribute to a fairer, more just world. The motto appears on His Excellency’s coat of arms along with a crest, arms and supporters reflecting the priorities of his mandate. In the Governor General’s view, a smart nation is one that learns from the past, embraces the future and looks to the world with confidence and respect, while a caring nation recognizes that the measure of any society’s success lies in its ability to help others, particularly the vulnerable and marginalized among us. The Pillars of His Mandate Together with Her Excellency Sharon Johnston, the Governor General is focusing his mandate on strengthening the pillars of learning and innovation, philanthropy and volunteerism and families and children. His Excellency has inspired and launched a number of major new programs and Official Delegation State Visit to the Kingdom of Sweden February 19-23, 2017 initiatives, including My Giving Moment and the Governor General’s Innovation Awards. He revitalized the Caring Canadian Award program which recognizes individuals who volunteer their time to help others and, with Her Majesty The Queen’s approval, he supported the creation of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, an official Crown honour which will incorporate and replace the Caring Canadian Award. The Governor General also supported the introduction of the Polar Medal, a program that replaces the Northern Medal, to celebrate Canada’s northern heritage and recognize achievement in the polar regions and in Canada’s North. Additionally, he established the Rideau Hall Foundation as a means of strengthening the institution’s ability to serve Canadians through a range of initiatives linked to leadership, education, innovation and giving. In keeping with his role and responsibilities as governor general, His Excellency has visited hundreds of cities and small towns from coast to coast to coast during his mandate. He has represented Canada on more than 40 missions abroad. In March 2015, His Excellency accepted a prime ministerial request to extend his mandate by two years, until September 2017. Official Delegation State Visit to the Kingdom of Sweden February 19-23, 2017 HER EXCELLENCY SHARON JOHNSTON Sharon Johnston graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966 as a physical and occupational therapist, and subsequently worked in the area of child psychiatry. When the Johnston family moved to Montréal, she completed her master’s and doctorate degrees in rehabilitation science. At the master’s level, she studied a more effective way of clearing the small airways of cystic fibrosis sufferers. Her doctoral thesis examined the coordination of respiratory muscles during normal speech, stuttered speech and singing. Her thesis resulted in the publication of scientific articles on respiratory mechanics. During the 20 years the family lived in Montréal, Mrs. Johnston ensured their five daughters became fluently bilingual. Now, as adults and professionals, they speak many other languages. While in Montréal, she volunteered her time on many administrative boards, including the Collège Marie de France, in Montréal, and Bishop’s College School, in Lennoxville, Quebec. She was also a founding member of the Friends of the Neuro volunteer group at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. In 1999, Mr. and Mrs. Johnston moved from Montréal to Waterloo, Ontario. While Mr. Johnston was occupied running the University of Waterloo, Mrs. Johnston began an entirely new life at a hundred- acre farm and small horse-boarding business called Chatterbox Farm, which she managed for 12 years. Farming and horses were entirely new to her, but suddenly this new adventure became a true passion. From its modest beginnings, Chatterbox Farm was a very successful horse-training centre in classical dressage. Mrs. Johnston also wrote an autobiographical essay for inclusion in a collection on notable women of Montréal, and recently published her first novel Matrons and Madams. The novel is a fictional account of life in southwestern Alberta during a colourful, post-Great War era, based on her grandmother’s experiences. In June 2016, Mrs. Johnston was appointment Honorary Captain (Navy) for Military Personnel Command of the Canadian Armed Forces for her work in supporting military families and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Official Delegation State Visit to the Kingdom of Sweden February 19-23, 2017 THE HONOURABLE KIRSTY DUNCAN, P.C., M.P. Minister of Science Represents the riding of Etobicoke North. Kirsty Duncan was an associate professor of health studies at the University of Toronto and the former research director of the AIC Institute of Corporate Citizenship at the Rotman School of Management. A renowned international speaker, she has lectured to such organizations as the National Geographic Society, the Government of Japan and the Young Presidents’ Organization. She sat on the advisory boards for pandemic flu for the Conference Board of Canada and the University of Toronto, and has helped organizations throughout Canada and the United States prepare for a possible flu pandemic. She also sat on the boards of the Indigenous Cooperative on the Environment, the Scottish Studies Foundation, the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto and the Toronto Foundation for School Success. She co-chaired the 2006 Fraser Mustard Awards Gala in support of student nutrition and, in October 2007, she chaired Feeding Toronto’s Hungry Students Week. Ms. Duncan is passionate about building resilient communities and taking action on climate change. She has helped provide food, shelter and education to Toronto’s youth, and served on the Nobel Prize- winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Ms. Duncan holds a doctorate in geography from the University of Edinburgh. THE HONOURABLE LARRY BAGNELL, P.C., M.P. Member of Parliament for Yukon The Honourable Larry Bagnell, P.C., served as the member of Parliament for Yukon from 2000-2011 and was re-elected in 2015. Mr. Bagnell was appointed to the Privy Council and was the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs (2003-2004), and to the Minister of Natural Resources (2004-2005). He is the current chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Liaison Committee, and vice-chair of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region. Previously, he served on the parliamentary committees for Transport, Defence, Industry, Veterans Affairs, Justice and Human Rights, Aboriginal Affairs, and Tibet. He also served as co-founder and chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Burma, co-chair of the Outdoors Caucus, and chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and International Development Caucus. Mr. Bagnell’s community service was recognized in 1999, when he was named the City of Whitehorse Volunteer of the Year. He has served as president of various groups, including the Yukon United Way, the Yukon Learn literacy group, and the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre, a First Nations community organization.