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Honourable Iona Rita Johnston Campagnolo, 1991 – First female OC, OBC Premier in Canada 2001 – First woman to serve as B.C.’s Lieutenant Governor

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Rita Johnston was born in Melville, Following the resignation of Premier Bill Vander Zalm Iona Campagnolo was born on Galiano In 1982, she became the first female president of the Saskatchewan in 1935. She later moved to in 1991, Rita Johnston was selected by her caucus to Island in 1932. However, she spent much of her Liberal Party of Canada and was later the first Chancellor Surrey, British Columbia where she became a small serve as interim leader of the governing Social Credit childhood and adolescence in northern British Columbia. of the University of Northern British Columbia. business owner and, in 1969, was elected to city Party, thereby becoming the Premier of British Columbia. council. Rita Johnston later served two additional On taking office, she committed to giving women’s issues In 1966, Iona Campagnolo was elected to the In 2001, Iona Campagnolo was installed as British two-year terms at the municipal level in 1978 and 1982. a higher priority. school board in Prince Rupert, B.C. and later served Columbia’s 27th Lieutenant Governor, the first woman as its chairwoman. She also worked locally in radio to be appointed as the provincial representative of Her After deciding to enter provincial politics, Rita Johnston While her government was ultimately defeated in the broadcasting before entering federal politics in 1974, Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. ran successfully as the Social Credit candidate for the provincial general election later that year, through her winning election to the Canadian House of Commons riding of Surrey in the provincial general election of tenure as party leader, Rita Johnston had entered the as the Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding The Honourable Iona Campagnolo is the recipient of the 1983 and was re-elected to represent Surrey-Newton in annals of women’s history as the first female Premier of Skeena. Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. 1986. She served in a variety of Parliamentary Secretary in Canada. roles and was later appointed to several cabinet posts, In the House of Commons, Iona Campagnolo was including Municipal Affairs, Recreation and Culture, and appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transportation and Highways. Indian Affairs and Northern Development and later served as the first Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport.

1991 1991 1993 1996 2001 2009 2013 2013

Rita Johnston Judi Tyabji is the Kim Campbell, Ida Chong and Hon. Iona Campagnolo Mable Elmore is the first Jane Jae Kyung Shin Hon. Christy Clark is the first female first female MLA of former B.C. MLA, Jenny Wai Ching Kwan is installed as B.C.’s first female Filipino-Canadian and is the first Korean-Canadian is the first elected Premier in Canada Indo-Canadian descent is the first female are the first women Lieutenant Governor Naomi Yamamoto the first elected to the female Premier in B.C. Prime Minister in Canada of Chinese-Canadian Japanese-Canadian elected to B.C. Legislative Assembly descent elected to the the B.C. Legislative Assembly B.C. Legislative Assembly