Violet Elizabeth Dowdeswell ( Patton; born November 9, 1944) is a Canadian

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

who served as the 29th

lieutenant governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...

from 2014 to 2023. As lieutenant governor, Dowdeswell was the viceregal representative of the Crown in Right of Ontario. A champion of

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

inclusive growth Inclusive growth is economic growth that raises standards of livings for broad swaths of a population. It is widely accepted that inclusive growth is challenging to be achieved in the real world. Both the intangibility and long term perspective mak ...

and

liberal democracy Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...

, she is also the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Ontario's history.

Early life

Violet Elizabeth Patton was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, on November 9, 1944. She moved with her family to Canada in 1947, settling in rural

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Her father, Desmond Granville Patton (1920-2008), was a minister of the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

. Dowdeswell married at a young age but soon divorced. She attended the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

and

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

, and she later became a teacher and university lecturer.

Career

Dowdeswell left teaching and entered public service as a special assistant to

's deputy education minister for two years (1976-78), then worked as deputy minister of culture and youth during the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

government of Allan Blakeney. She was then dismissed, along with other deputy ministers, after the Progressive Conservative government of

Grant Devine Donald Grant Devine (born July 5, 1944) is a Canadian politician who served as the 11th premier of Saskatchewan from 1982 to 1991. He led the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan from 1979 to 1992 and is one of only two leaders of that ...

took power in 1982. She held various positions in the federal public service during the 1980s, working at one point as assistant deputy minister at

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; )Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment (). is the Ministry (government department), department ...

with responsibility for the Atmospheric Environment Service and negotiating the Framework Convention on Climate Change. She also led a public inquiry into Canada's unemployment benefits program and federal water policy. In 1992, Dowdeswell was selected to lead the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, serving a full four-year term and a one-year extension until she resigned in 1998. From 1998 to 2010, she was an adjunct professor at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, while also serving as founding president and CEO of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization. From 2010 until her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, she was the president and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies.

As lieutenant governor

Dowdeswell was appointed as lieutenant governor by

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

David Johnston on the advice of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

, who selected Dowdeswell from a shortlist devised by the

Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments The Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments was established on 4 November 2012 to assist the Government of Canada#Executive power, government of Canada (Monarchy of Canada, the Crown-King-in-Council, in-Council) with the appointment of the gov ...

. On September 23, 2014, she was sworn in during a ceremony held at Queen's Park in Toronto. She is the third woman to serve in the position, after

Pauline Mills McGibbon Pauline Mills McGibbon (21 October 1910 – 14 December 2001) served as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1974 to 1980. In addition to being the first woman to occupy that position, she was also the first woman to serve as a vi ...

and Hilary Weston. Dowdeswell declared in her installation address that she would not immediately espouse a particular area of focus during her time as lieutenant governor. Instead, she said she would engage the people of Ontario, listening to their concerns and ideas. She has since adopted "sustainability" and "Ontario in the world" as personal themes. In addition, Dowdeswell has called herself Ontario's unofficial "Storyteller-in-Chief". According to annual reports published on her office's website, Dowdeswell has conducted, on average, more than 700 public engagements yearly as lieutenant governor, as well as numerous visits abroad to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark. She has visited all of Ontario's provincial electoral districts. On September 22, 2022, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the addition of Dowdeswell, alongside other Canadian lieutenant governors, to the country's so-called stop list banning entry to Russian territory. Dowdeswell's mandate came to an end on November 14, 2023, and she was succeeded by

Edith Dumont Edith Dumont (born 1964) is a Canadian educator who has served as the lieutenant governor of Ontario since November 14, 2023, the 30th since Confederation. Early life and education Dumont was born in 1964 in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec ...

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

As a former lieutenant governor in Canada, Dowdeswell is entitled to be styled ''

the Honourable ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...

'' for life. She had the additional style of '' Her Honour'' while in office.

Honours

;Appointments * May 24, 2012: Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

(OC) * November 26, 2014: Dame of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem ** November 26, 2014November 14, 2023: Vice Prior of the Priory of Canada of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (while in office) * September 23, 2014: Member of the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

(OOnt) ** September 23, 2014November 14, 2023: Chancellor of the Order of Ontario (while in office) ;Medals * June 18, 2012:

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

* 2022: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Nova Scotia) * May 6, 2024: King Charles III Coronation Medal ;Other awards * November 18, 2020: Louie Kamookak Medal of the

Royal Canadian Geographical Society The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS; French: ''Société géographique royale du Canada'') is a Canadian nonprofit educational organization. It has dedicated itself to spreading a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada, i ...

;Honorary appointments * September 23, 2014November 14, 2023: Colonel of the Regiment of

The Queen's York Rangers The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC) is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve regiment of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. Based in Toronto and Aurora, Ontario, the regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade ...

(while in office) * September 23, 2014November 14, 2023: Honorary Commissioner of the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...

Honorary degrees

Dowdeswell has received several

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

s from various universities in Canada and Europe. These include:

Arms

Footnotes

References

External links

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdeswell, Elizabeth 1944 births Canadian educators Canadian women educators Canadian women viceroys Canadian women diplomats Lieutenant governors of Ontario Living people Emigrants from Northern Ireland to Canada Officers of the Order of Canada People from County Antrim Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society Saskatchewan civil servants United Nations Environment Programme Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations University of Saskatchewan alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto Utah State University alumni Women in Ontario politics 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Canadian officials of the United Nations