List of female viceroys in Canada

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This is a list of women who have served as viceroys in Canada. Canada is a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as the reigning Canadian monarch. As the King does not reside in Canada, her daily responsibilities in the country are in the federal jurisdiction undertaken by the Governor General of Canada and by a lieutenant governor in each of the ten provincial jurisdictions. Collectively, these individuals are the King's official viceregal representatives.

This list also includes women who have served as commissioners, an office in each of Canada's three federal territories with similar function to provincial viceroys.

Governors general[]

A total of four women have served, and one currently serving, as the Governor General of Canada.

Name Home province Start of mandate End of mandate Notes
Jeanne Sauvé Saskatchewan 14 May 1984 28 January 1990 First female governor general in Canadian history; appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau; member of the Fransaskois community.
Adrienne Clarkson Ontario 7 October 1999 27 September 2005 First visible minority and first Chinese Canadian to be appointed governor general by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien; first governor general without a military or political background.
Michaëlle Jean Quebec 27 September 2005 1 October 2010 First Black Canadian woman to serve as a vicereine in Canada. Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on advice of Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Julie Payette Quebec 2 October 2017 21 January 2021 First former astronaut to serve as a vicereine in Canada. Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Mary Simon Quebec 26 July 2021 incumbent First Inuit person to serve as a vicereine in Canada. Announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on July 6, 2021.

Lieutenant governors[]

A total of twenty-four women have served, or are currently serving, as the lieutenant governor of a province. As of 24 October 2022, there are seven serving provincial female viceroys in Canada.

Name Province Start of mandate End of mandate Notes
Pauline McGibbon Ontario 10 April 1974 15 September 1980 First vicereine in Canadian history; appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario by Governor General Jules Léger upon the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Pearl McGonigal Manitoba 23 October 1981 11 December 1986 First female lieutenant governor in Manitoba.
Wilma Helen Hunley Alberta 22 January 1985 11 March 1991 First female lieutenant governor in Alberta.
Sylvia Fedoruk Saskatchewan 7 September 1988 31 May 1994 First female lieutenant governor in Saskatchewan.
Marion Reid Prince Edward Island 16 August 1990 30 August 1995 First female lieutenant governor in Prince Edward Island.
Margaret McCain New Brunswick 21 June 1994 18 April 1997 First female lieutenant governor in New Brunswick.
Lise Thibault Quebec 30 January 1997 7 June 2007 First female lieutenant governor in Quebec; first person with a physical disability to serve as a viceroy in Canada.
Marilyn Trenholme Counsell New Brunswick 18 April 1997 26 August 2003 Succeeded Margaret McCain as Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick; first woman to succeed another female vicereine in Canada.
Hilary Weston Ontario 24 January 1997 7 March 2002
Lois Hole Alberta 11 February 2000 6 January 2005 Died while in office at the age of 75.
Lynda Haverstock Saskatchewan 21 February 2000 1 August 2006
Myra Freeman Nova Scotia 17 May 2000 7 September 2006 First female lieutenant governor in Nova Scotia.
Iona Campagnolo British Columbia 25 September 2001 30 September 2007 First female lieutenant governor in British Columbia.
Barbara Oliver Hagerman Prince Edward Island 31 July 2006 15 August 2011
Mayann Francis Nova Scotia 7 September 2006 12 April 2012 Second Black Canadian to serve as a vicereine in Canada, after Governor General Michaëlle Jean.
Judith Guichon British Columbia 2 November 2012 24 April 2018
Vaughn Solomon Schofield Saskatchewan 22 March 2012 21 March 2018
Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau New Brunswick 23 October 2014 2 August 2019 Died while in office at the age of 63
Lois Mitchell Alberta 12 June 2015 26 August 2020
Elizabeth Dowdeswell Ontario 23 September 2014 incumbent
Janice Filmon Manitoba 19 June 2015 24 October 2022 Wife of former Premier Gary Filmon.
Antoinette Perry Prince Edward Island 20 October 2017 incumbent
Janet Austin British Columbia 24 April 2018 incumbent
Judy Foote Newfoundland and Labrador 3 May 2018 incumbent First female lieutenant governor in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Brenda Murphy New Brunswick 8 September 2019 incumbent First openly LGBTQ lieutenant governor; and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold any viceregal office in Canada.
Salma Lakhani Alberta 26 August 2020 incumbent First South Asian and the first Muslim to hold a viceregal office in Canada.
Anita Neville Manitoba 24 October 2022 incumbent First Jewish lieutenant governor of Manitoba

Territorial commissioners[]

In each of the three territories of Canada, a commissioner acts as the formal head of state. Unlike the Governor General or a lieutenant governor (who are officially representatives of the Canadian monarch) the commissioners are appointed by and represent the Government of Canada. However, while they are not formally viceroys, they perform in their respective territories the same duties as a provincial lieutenant governor.

A total of thirteen women have served, or are currently serving, as a commissioner; one woman, Helen Maksagak, has served terms as a commissioner in two territories.

Name Territory Start of mandate End of mandate Notes
Ione Christensen Yukon 20 January 1979 10 October 1979 [1] First female territorial commissioner in Canadian history; resigned from position within one year to run for public office in the 1980 Canadian federal election.
Helen Maksagak Northwest Territories 16 January 1995 26 March 1999 First female Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.
Nunavut 1 April 1999 1 April 2000 First Commissioner of Nunavut following its creation on 1 April 1999.
Judy Gingell Yukon 23 June 1995 1 October 2000
Glenna Hansen Northwest Territories 31 March 2000 29 April 2005
Ann Meekitjuk Hanson Nunavut 21 April 2005 10 April 2010
Geraldine Van Bibber Yukon 1 December 2005 17 December 2010
Nellie Kusugak Nunavut 10 April 2010
(acting) 		10 May 2010 Would become acting Commissioner (as Deputy Commissioner) in 2015 and finally service as full Commissioner.
Edna Elias Nunavut 10 May 2010 11 May 2015
Nellie Kusugak Nunavut 11 May 2015
(acting);
23 June 2015
(official) 		22 June 2020 Two-time acting Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner, 2010 and 2015.
Margaret Thom Northwest Territories 18 September 2017 incumbent
Angélique Bernard Yukon 12 March 2018 incumbent
Rebekah Uqi Williams Nunavut 22 June 2020
(acting) 		12 January 2021
Eva Aariak Nunavut 14 January 2021 incumbent

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "PARLINFO - Parliamentarian File - Provincial / Territorial Experience - CHRISTENSEN, the Hon. Ione, C.M." Archived from the original on 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
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