Ottawa, Ontario - 26 June 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Dowdeswell, O.C., as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
Ms. Dowdeswell has had a number of successful careers in public policy, the energy industry, education and the public service. She is currently the President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies. Prior to that, Ms. Dowdeswell was the founding President and CEO of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, the Under Secretary General of the United Nations, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, and Executive Director of UN-Habitat. She has also occupied senior positions within Environment Canada, federal Treasury Board Secretariat and the Government of Saskatchewan.
Ms. Dowdeswell is an internationally-recognized executive who is actively involved in community service aimed at promoting a healthy environment, sustainable energy and development, and a better quality of education both at home and abroad. She is chair of the board of directors of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, a member of the board of directors of Grand Challenges Canada, a member of the Standing Advisory Group on Technical Assistance and Cooperation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a Life Member of the International Water Academy, and a member of both Women in Nature and the Canadian Pugwash Group. She serves on the board of the new Alberta Energy Regulator and the corporate social responsibility boards of Dow Chemical International and Barrick Gold.
For her dedicated service, Ms. Dowdeswell has received widespread recognition, including being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada (2012), receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), being named a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (2012), being named a Fellow of the Argentine Academy of Environmental Sciences (2008), and receiving multiple honorary degrees from several Canadian colleges and universities.
This appointment is the culmination of a process undertaken by the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments.
Lieutenant Governors are appointed by His Excellency the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. They serve five-year terms, during which they act as their provinces' vice-regal representatives.
Prime Minister Harper also took the opportunity to thank the Honourable David Onley for his dedicated service as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, which began on September 5, 2007.
