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Ray Hnatyshyn

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In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ivanovych and the family name is Hnatyshyn.
The Right Honourable
Ray Hnatyshyn
PC CC CMM CD QC (Can) QC (Sask) FRHSC(hon)
24th Governor General of Canada
In office
January 29, 1990 – February 8, 1995
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime Minister
Preceded byJeanne Sauvé
Succeeded byRoméo LeBlanc
More...
Personal details
Born
Ramon John Hnatyshyn

(1934-03-16)March 16, 1934
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedDecember 18, 2002(2002-12-18) (aged 68)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Cause of deathPancreatitis
Resting placeBeechwood Cemetery
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1960)​
ChildrenJohn, Carl[1]
Parent
Alma materUniversity of Saskatchewan (BA, LLB)
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • politician
Signature
Military service
AllegianceCanada
BranchRoyal Canadian Air Force Reserve
Service years1951-1956
Unit23 Wing Auxiliary

Ramon John Hnatyshyn PC CC CMM CD QC (Can) QC (Sask) FRHSC(hon) (/nəˈtɪʃən/ nə-TISH-ən; March 16, 1934 – December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as the 24th governor general of Canada from 1990 to 1995.

Hnatyshyn was born and educated in Saskatchewan and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force prior to being elected to the House of Commons in 1974. On June 4, 1979, Hnatyshyn was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada[2] and served as a minister of the Crown in two non-successive governments until 1988.

He was appointed governor general by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. He replaced Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé as viceroy, and occupied the post until succeeded by Roméo LeBlanc in 1995. As the Queen's representative, Hnatyshyn followed an egalitarian approach by reversing some exclusive policies of his predecessors, such as by opening up Rideau Hall to ordinary Canadians and tourists alike, and was praised for raising the stature of Ukrainian Canadians.

He subsequently practiced law and sat as Chancellor of Carleton University before dying of pancreatitis on December 18, 2002.

Early life and career

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Hnatyshyn, a Ukrainian Canadian, was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to Helen and John Hnatyshyn. John practised as a lawyer, but also became involved in politics, running unsuccessfully in three federal elections in the riding of Yorkton before becoming Canada's first Ukrainian-born senator in 1959.[3][4][5][n 1] John's political links and friendship with John Diefenbaker, the future prime minister, would provide his son with frequent exposure to high-calibre political debate.[6]

Ray Hnatyshyn attended Victoria Public School and Nutana Collegiate Institute in Saskatoon, then went on to study at the University of Saskatchewan, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1954, and a Bachelor of Laws two years later.[3] He was called to the bar of Saskatchewan in 1957 and briefly worked at a Saskatoon law firm, then moved to Ottawa in 1958 to take a position as an assistant to Walter Aseltine, the Government Leader in the Canadian Senate.[3][7]

Hnatyshyn returned to Saskatoon in 1960 and resumed his career as a lawyer. That year, on January 9, he married Karen Gerda Nygaard Andreasen, eventually having and raising two sons with her.[3][8] In the 1964 Saskatchewan general election, he ran unsuccessfully as a Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan candidate in the electoral district of Saskatoon City.[3] In 1966 he began teaching at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Law as a sessional lecturer, and in 1973 he was appointed Queen's Counsel in Saskatchewan.[3][6][9]

In his youth, Hnatyshyn enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, where he was a member of 107 Spitfire Squadron in Saskatoon. He was enlisted as a reservist with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1951 to 1956, then served in the RCAF's 23 Wing (Auxiliary) from 1956 to 1958.[9][10]

Member of Parliament

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In the 1974 federal election, Hnatyshyn ran as a Progressive Conservative Party (PC) candidate and narrowly won the riding of Saskatoon—Biggar against New Democratic Party incumbent Alfred Gleave. He thereby became a member of Parliament (MP).[3][10] He was appointed the PCs' deputy house leader in 1976.[10]

When Saskatoon—Biggar was abolished ahead of the 1979 election, Hnatyshyn followed most of his constituents into the newly established riding of Saskatoon West, where he won re-election. The PCs won a minority government in that election, and Hnatyshyn was appointed on June 4 to the Cabinet chaired by Joe Clark as Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources, as well as Minister of State for Science and Technology.[3][10]

The PC minority government fell in December 1979, and the Liberals regained power in the subsequent federal election held on February 18, 1980. Hnatyshyn was re-elected MP in Saskatoon West, and was named opposition critic for justice.[10] Brian Mulroney replaced Joe Clark as PC leader following the 1983 leadership election, and named Hnatyshyn Opposition House Leader in April 1984.[10]

The PCs won a landslide majority government in the 1984 federal election, and Hnatyshyn was named Government House Leader in November 1984,[3] before adding President of the Privy Council to his portfolio in February 1985.[10] By mid-1986, as the PCs began to trail the Liberals in opinion polling, Mulroney announced a cabinet shuffle, naming Hnatyshyn Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on June 30.[3][10][11] He was called to the bar of Ontario the same year,[1] and was appointed Queen's Counsel in Canada in 1988.[5][9]

Saskatoon West was abolished before the election of 1988, and Hnatyshyn attempted to follow most of his constituents into Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing, but lost to NDP challenger Chris Axworthy.[10] Following his defeat, Hnatyshyn returned to practising law, joining the Ottawa firm of Gowling, Strathy & Henderson in April 1989.[3]

Governor General of Canada

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Rideau Hall, Hnatyshyn's Ottawa residence during his term as governor general

On December 14, 1989, Queen Elizabeth II, by commission under the royal sign-manual and Great Seal of Canada, appointed Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's choice of Hnatyshyn to succeed Jeanne Sauvé as the Queen's representative. He was the second consecutive Saskatchewan-born Governor-General. Hnatyshyn was sworn in during a ceremony in the Senate chamber on January 29, 1990.[1]

Hnatyshyn thereafter made an effort to open up Rideau Hall—the monarch's and governor general's residence in Ottawa[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]—to the public, establishing a visitors' centre and initiating guided tours of the palace and the royal park in which it sits. These moves marked a complete reversal of the policies of his predecessor Sauvé, who had closed Rideau Hall to the general public. In 1991, Hnatyshyn staged on the grounds the first of the annual Governor General's Summer Concert Series and, the year after, mounted His Excellency's Most Excellent Rock Concert and re-opened the skating rink to the public.[3]

These events blended with some of Hnatyshyn's self-imposed mandates during his viceregal tenure, which included a desire to engage Canadian youth and focus attention on education and to encourage the arts. To these ends, he established in 1992 the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Arts, and the Governor General's Flight For Freedom Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literacy.[3] Further, he founded the International Council for Canadian Studies, the Governor General Ramon John Hnatyshyn Education Fund, the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law, and the Governor General's International Award for Canadian Studies.[8]

Among numerous other official and ceremonial duties, the Governor General presided over celebrations to mark the 125th anniversary of Confederation[6] and welcomed to Rideau Hall the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with a host of foreign dignitaries such as President of Russia Boris Yeltsin and King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan. Further, Hnatyshyn undertook a number of state visits, including one to Ukraine,[8] before his time serving at Her Majesty's pleasure ended on February 6, 1995.

Throughout his tenure as the Canadian viceroy, Hnatyshyn was both defended and criticised by the Monarchist League of Canada. In their final summary of Hnatyshyn's years in office, though, the former governor general was generally viewed to have not stood up for the Canadian Crown that he represented, choosing to follow, instead of Vincent Massey's example, that of Sauvé, who was herself seen as a republican. This lack of loyalty, it was argued, left Hnatyshyn with few defenders when he was targeted by members of the Reform Party for his salary and taxes.[15] It was thought by John Pepall that Hnatyshyn's name had been selected by Mulroney to put forward to the Queen for appointment as governor general because Hnatyshyn, who had just recently been a member of the Cabinet headed by Mulroney until losing his parliamentary seat in the 1988 election, was someone Mulroney could "hardly feel any deference for", allowing Mulroney to continue to show the "juvenile extreme of the politician's craving for publicity and centre stage" he had while Jeanne Sauvé was governor general.[19]

Post viceregal career and death

[edit]
A statue of Hnatyshyn, created in 1992 by Bill Epp, stands on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

After his departure from Government House, Hnatyshyn returned to Gowling, Strathy & Henderson, where he became senior partner.[1][3][5] In November 2002 he was installed as Chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa; however, he died of complications from pancreatitis shortly before Christmas that year.[3] Per tradition, and with the consent of his family, Hnatyshyn lay in state for two days in the Senate chamber.[20] Though he was Ukrainian Orthodox, he was commemorated in his state funeral in a multi-faith ceremony on December 23, 2002, at Ottawa's Christ Church Cathedral.[3][20] The service included the funeral rite of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—officiated by Archbishop Yurij, Bishop of Toronto, and the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—and a eulogy from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's chief correspondent, Peter Mansbridge.[21] Adrienne Clarkson, by that time the sitting governor general, paid tribute to him via video, as she and her husband were en route to spend Christmas with Canadian troops stationed in the Persian Gulf.[22] Hnatyshyn was then buried at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa.[23]

Various memorials followed Hnatyshyn's death: On March 16, 2004, Canada Post unveiled at a ceremony, attended by Hnatyshyn's widow, a $0.49 postage stamp designed by Vancouver graphic artist Susan Mavor, and bearing the formal portrait of Hnatyshyn taken by Canadian Press photographer Paul Chaisson on the day Hnatyshyn became governor general, along with a tone-on-tone rendering of part of Hnatyshyn's coat of arms. Two years later, a 48-minute documentary DVD examining the life of Hnatyshyn, A Man for all Canadians was released in Canada by IKOR Film.[24]

Honours and arms

[edit]
Viceregal styles of
Ramon J. Hnatyshyn
Reference styleHis Excellency the Right Honourable
Son Excellence le très honorable
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Votre Excellence

Honours

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Ribbon bars of Ray Hnatyshyn





Appointments
Medals
Foreign honours

Honorary military appointments

[edit]

Honorary degrees

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Monuments

[edit]

Honorific eponyms

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Awards
Organisations

Arms

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Coat of arms of Ray Hnatyshyn
Notes
Just prior to his installation as Governor General, Hnatyshyn was granted a personal coat of arms that depicted his Ukrainian and Canadian roots.
Adopted
January 16, 1990
Crest
A demi lion Gules charged on each shoulder with a maple leaf Argent holding in its dexter forepaw scales of justice Or;
Escutcheon
Per fess Bleu Céleste and Or in chief a lion passant guardant Or royally crowned proper holding in its dexter paw a maple leaf Gules fimbriated Or in base a lion passant guardant Bleu Céleste holding in its dexter paw a heart Gules;
Supporters
Dexter a white tailed deer per fess Bleu Céleste and Or armed and gorged with a collar all Or pendant therefrom a bezant charged with a representation of the badge of the House of Commons of Canada proper, sinister a bull per fess Bleu Céleste and Or gorged with a collar Vert fimbriated Argent pendant therefrom a prairie lily flower proper charged with the Tryzub of the Ukraine Blue Céleste
Compartment
the whole set upon a compartment party per pale of trees of the boreal forest Vert and a wheat field Or rising above barry wavy Azure and Argent;
Motto
MODERATIO IN OMNIBUS
(Moderation in all things)
Orders
The ribbon and insignia of a Companion of the Order of Canada.
DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM
(They desire a better country)
Symbolism
The colours and split division of the shield and supporters harkens to the flag of Ukraine, where Hnatyshyn's family originated. In the shield, the viceregal lion recalls Hnatyshyn's appointment as the Queen's representative, and the lion below is drawn from the coat of arms of Denmark, where Hnatyshyn's wife's father was from. The red lion comes from the coat of arms of Saskatchewan, where Hnatyshyn was born, the two maple leaves on the lion's shoulders (one visible) represents Hnatyshyn's two sons, and the scales it holds recall Hnatyshyn's profession as a lawyer. The deer is the same, in form, as that on the coat of arms of Saskatchewan, and the badge on its medallion is that of the House of Commons, where Hnatyshyn sat as a Member of Parliament. The bull is a symbol of Bukovina, where Hnatyshyn's parents were born, and from its collar hangs an emblem that links Saskatchewan's official flower—the prairie lily—with the trident of the Ukrainian coat of arms—a symbol of the Ukrainian people for more than 1,000 years. The compartment displays the landscape of Saskatchewan.[44][45]

Archives

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There is a Ramon J. Hnatyshyn fonds at Library and Archives Canada.[46]

Electoral record

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1984 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon West
Party Candidate Votes
Progressive Conservative Ray Hnatyshyn 26,012
New Democratic Ron Fisher 18,910
Liberal Maureen Darling 6,355
Rhinoceros George Adilman 495
Confederation of Regions Dayle Goodine 337
Green Keith A. Morvick 150
Independent Robert J. Bonsor 109
1980 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon West
Party Candidate Votes
Progressive Conservative Ray Hnatyshyn 17,636
New Democratic Reg Parker 14,852
Liberal C.M.Red Williams 8,116
Marxist–Leninist Susan Dennis 97
Source: Canadian Elections Database[47]
1979 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon West
Party Candidate Votes
Progressive Conservative Ray Hnatyshyn 20,174
New Democratic Parker, Reg 15,094
Liberal Williams, C.M. Red 6,837
Independent Loran, Bill 1,293
Social Credit Cranfield, D.D. 221
Marxist–Leninist Dennis, Susan 76

Notes

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  1. ^ John Hnatyshyn was born in Bukovina, then a part of Austria-Hungary. Canada's first senator of Ukrainian descent, William Michael Wall, was born in Manitoba.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "1990: Ray Hnatyshyn sworn in as Governor General". CBC. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  2. ^ Privy Council Office (October 30, 2008), Information Resources > Current Chronological List of Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada > 1971-1980, Queen's Printer for Canada, archived from the original on February 15, 2016, retrieved March 2, 2009
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Hillmer, Norman; Kucharsky, Danny (2018-02-28). "Ray Natyshyn". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  4. ^ "Profile - Hnatyshyn, John". Library of Parliament. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  5. ^ a b c Welsh, Teresa. "Hnatyshyn, Ramon John (1934- 2002)". University of Regina. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. ^ a b c Bowman, John. "Indepth Backgrounder: Ramon John Hnatyshyn". CBC. Archived from the original on 2003-02-11. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Honorary Degree recipients, University of Manitoba, archived from the original on 2020-11-16, retrieved 2021-07-19
  8. ^ a b c d e Office of the Governor General of Canada, Role and Responsibilities > Former Governors General > The Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, Queen's Printer for Canada, retrieved February 4, 2010[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ a b c "Honorary Degrees: His Excellency, the Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, BA, LLB, P.C., C.C., C.M.M, C.D., Q.C." University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Profile - Hnatyshyn, Ramon John". Library of Parliament. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  11. ^ Bociurkiw, Michael B. (1986-07-06). "Ukrainian becomes justice minister in major Canadian Cabinet shuffle". The Ukrainian Weekly. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  12. ^ Galbraith, William (1989), "Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1939 Royal Visit", Canadian Parliamentary Review, 12 (3), Ottawa: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, archived from the original on December 5, 2012, retrieved February 20, 2009
  13. ^ Aimers, John (April 1996), "The Palace on the Rideau", Monarchy Canada (Spring 1996), Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada, archived from the original on 2009-01-31, retrieved February 20, 2009
  14. ^ Lanctot, Gustave (1964), Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America 1939, Toronto: E.P. Taylor Foundation, ASIN B0006EB752
  15. ^ a b Toffoli, Gary (April 1995), "The Hnatyshyn Years", Monarchy Canada (Spring 1995), Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada, archived from the original on 2009-06-18, retrieved February 20, 2009
  16. ^ MacLeod, Kevin S. (2008), A Crown of Maples (PDF) (1 ed.), Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, p. 34, ISBN 978-0-662-46012-1
  17. ^ MacLeod 2008, p. XIV
  18. ^ Bousfield, Arthur; Toffoli, Gary (2002), Fifty Years the Queen, Toronto: Dundurn Press, pp. 10, 27, ISBN 1-55002-360-8
  19. ^ Pepall, John (1 March 1990). "Who is the Governor General?". The Idler. Toronto. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Ray Hnatyshyn lies in state". CBC. 2002-12-23. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  21. ^ "Special coverage of the state funeral for former governor general Ray Hnatyshyn (Peter Mansbridge segment)". CBC News. Season 2002–2003. December 23, 2002. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
  22. ^ "Special coverage of the state funeral for former governor general Ray Hnatyshyn (Adrienne Clarkson segment)". CBC News. Season 2002-2003. December 23, 2002. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
  23. ^ "Governor General Ramon John Hnatyshyn" (PDF), The Beechwood Way: Sectionals: Section 110 Charity Pathway, Beechwood Cemetery, retrieved 2021-07-13
  24. ^ A Man for all Canadians, Rogers Media, retrieved February 5, 2010[permanent dead link]
  25. ^ a b c d Programs > Nation Builders > 2004 > Awards Recipients for 2004 > The Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, P.C., C.C., C.M.M., C.D., Q.C., Ukrainian Canadian Congress, archived from the original on March 31, 2010, retrieved March 4, 2009
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Who We Are > Our Founder, The Hnatyshyn Foundation, archived from the original on February 1, 2013, retrieved February 3, 2010
  27. ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada, Honours > Order of Canada > Search: Order of Canada Membership List > Ramon John Hnatyshyn, P.C., C.C., C.M.M., C.D., B.A., LL.B., Q.C., Queen's Printer for Canada, retrieved September 5, 2010
  28. ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada, Honours > Order of Military Merit, Queen's Printer for Canada, archived from the original on September 30, 2007, retrieved March 4, 2009
  29. ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada, Honours > Insignia Worn by the Governor General, Queen's Printer for Canada, retrieved March 4, 2009
  30. ^ University of Saskatchewan Archives > University History > Honorary degree recipients, University of Saskatchewan, archived from the original on December 15, 2012, retrieved March 4, 2009
  31. ^ "Royal Military College of Canada Honorary Degree Recipients". 19 July 2016.
  32. ^ HONORARY DEGREES (PDF), Queen's University, December 15, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2009, retrieved March 7, 2009
  33. ^ "HNATYSHYN, Ramon John".
  34. ^ Honorary Degree Recipients, Thompson Rivers University, retrieved 2021-07-19
  35. ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded Since 1954 - Senate".
  36. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  37. ^ "Deaths" (PDF), Bishop's University News, Bishop's University, p. 22, Spring 2003, retrieved 2021-07-19
  38. ^ "Over 500 Degrees to be Conferred" (Press release). Memorial University of Newfoundland. October 20, 1994. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
  39. ^ University of Alberta Senate > Honorary Degrees > Past Honorary Degree Recipients > H, University of Alberta, archived from the original on May 27, 2011, retrieved April 28, 2009
  40. ^ "2005 Honorary Degree Recipients Named" (Press release). University of Northern British Columbia. April 21, 2005. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
  41. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  42. ^ "Honorary LLD". Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  43. ^ "Hnatyshyn, Ramon". Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  44. ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada (12 November 2020), Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges > Ramon John HNATYSHYN, retrieved September 27, 2021
  45. ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada, Heraldry > Emblems of Canada and of Government House > Symbols of Past Governors General > Symbolism of the Armorial Bearings of the Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, Queen's Printer for Canada, retrieved March 4, 2009
  46. ^ "Ramon J. Hnatyshyn fonds, Library and Archives". 20 July 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  47. ^ "Elections | Canadian Elections Database". canadianelectionsdatabase.ca. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ray Hnatyshyn.
Government offices
Preceded by Governor General of Canada
January 29, 1990 – February 8, 1995 		Succeeded by
Political offices
21st Ministry – Cabinet of Joe Clark
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Alastair Gillespie Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources
June 4, 1979 – March 3, 1980 		Marc Lalonde
24th Ministry – Cabinet of Brian Mulroney
Cabinet posts (2)
Predecessor Office Successor
John Crosbie Minister of Justice
June 30, 1986 – December 7, 1988 		Joe Clark (acting)
Erik Nielsen President of the Privy Council
February 27, 1985 – June 30, 1986 		Don Mazankowski
Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Saskatoon—Biggar
July 8, 1974 – May 22, 1979 		Succeeded by
Electoral district abolished
Preceded by
New electoral district
 Member of Parliament for Saskatoon West
May 22, 1979 – November 21, 1988 		Succeeded by
Electoral district abolished
Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of Carleton University
2002 		Succeeded by
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