April 28, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was pleased to announce today the appointment of Gordon L. Barnhart, Ph.D. as Saskatchewan’s newest Lieutenant Governor. “Dr. Barnhart is an accomplished academic with a laudable record of public service. He has loyally served his province and his country in a number of roles over the years. There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Barnhart will continue to serve Saskatchewan and Canada with distinction in his new role,” said the Prime Minister.
Prior to his appointment as Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Barnhart served as a Professional Affiliate with the Department of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, the same university from which he earned his B.A. and Ph.D. Until 2005, he also served in the position of University Secretary. In his capacity as an academic, Dr. Barnhart has authored a number of books and articles on topics such as democratic governance, Senate reform, and the history of Saskatchewan, including a biography of Saskatchewan’s first premier, Walter Scott.
A longtime advocate of the need to strengthen democratic government at both home and abroad, Dr. Barnhart has worked with such government-supported agencies as the Canadian International Development Agency and United States Agency for International Development on a number of projects. In his capacity as a consultant, he trained elected members and public servants in South Africa, lead a seminar in Vietnam for 110 newly elected female parliamentarians, and designed and led workshops for Russian elected members and public servants.
In addition to his academic career, Dr. Barnhart also worked for over twenty-five years as a public servant. From 1989 until 1994, he served as the Clerk of the Senate and the Clerk of the Parliaments. Prior to this position, Dr. Barnhart served for two decades as the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
A native of Saskatchewan, Dr. Barnhart and his wife, Naomi, have three children and three grandchildren. Dr. Barnhart and his wife live in Saltcoats, the rural community in which he was born and raised.
