James Karl Bartleman (24 December 1939 – 14 August 2023) was a Canadian diplomat and author who served as the 27th
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 2002 to 2007.
Bartleman was a son of Percy Scott Bartleman and Maureen Florence Bartleman (Simcoe). He grew up in the Muskoka town of
Port Carling
Port Carling is an unincorporated community in the Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, Township of Muskoka Lakes in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario.
It has been the municipal seat of the township since 1971. It has sever ...
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree (BA) in History from the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...
, where he was initiated as a member of
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded in 1848, and currently headquartered, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, alo ...
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.
Foreign service career
Prior to taking on the role of lieutenant governor, Bartleman had a distinguished career of more than 35 years in the Canadian foreign service. In 1967, he began his diplomatic career in what was then known as the Department of External Affairs (now
Global Affairs Canada
Global Affairs Canada (GAC; ; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department of the Government of Canada that ...
). Following an assignment in Bogota, Colombia, Bartleman was given the task in 1972 of opening Canada's first diplomatic mission in the newly independent
People's Republic of Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world and among the most densely populated with a population of over 171 million within an area of . Bangl ...
. Bartleman later served in a diplomatic posting in Brussels. At External Affairs, Bartleman headed the Commonwealth Caribbean Division for several years. He was then made Canada's
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
to Cuba (
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. In 1986, Bartleman was appointed Canada's Ambassador to Israel (
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
), while also serving as non-resident High Commissioner to Cyprus. In 1990, Bartleman was named Canadian Ambassador to the
North Atlantic Council
The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of permanent representatives of its member countries. It was established by wikisource:North Atlantic ...
of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...
(NATO) in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, Belgium. In 1994, Bartleman returned to Ottawa, where he served in the Privy Council Office as foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Chretien. In 1998, Bartleman became Canada's High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa (
Pretoria
Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria strad ...
). In February 1999, while in Cape Town to attend the opening of Parliament, Bartleman was attacked and robbed by an assailant. Later that year, he was reassigned to Australia (
Canberra
Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
), where Bartleman served as High Commissioner. In 2000, Bartleman was named ambassador to the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
in Brussels.
Bartleman was director of security and intelligence for the Department of External Affairs at the time of the 1985 Air India Bombing. On 3 May 2007, he testified at the Air India Inquiry that he had presented an
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...
document to the
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
warning of a possible attack days prior to the bombing.
Bob Rae
Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
, who had been tasked with advising deputy PM
Anne McLellan
A. Anne McLellan (born August 31, 1950) is a Canadian politician and academic who served as the ninth deputy prime minister of Canada from 2003 to 2006. She was a cabinet minister in the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin ...
, later admitted that he never bothered to interview Bartleman, the former head of intelligence for Foreign Affairs Canada.
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Bartleman was sworn in as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on 7 March 2002. He was Ontario's 41st
Vice-regal
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory.
The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
representative (27th since confederation, 41st since the establishment of the post in 1792).
As is traditional to a vice-regal appointment, Bartleman used his position to spearhead three initiatives that he personally identified with and considered important. During his mandate as Lieutenant Governor, he sought to:
# Reduce the stigma of mental illness;
# Fight racism and discrimination;
# Promote literacy among First Nations children.
To these ends, he initiated the Lieutenant Governor's Book Program in 2004. He has collected over 1.2 million books, donated from all corners of the province from both institutions and individuals, to stock school libraries in First Nations communities, particularly in
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...
. In 2005, to further promote literacy and bridge building, Bartleman initiated a program to pair up Native and non-Native schools in Ontario and
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...
Bartleman was related to honorary Chief of the Mnjikaning Indians John Bigwin, on his mother's side.
James Bartleman died on 14 August 2023, at the age of 83.
Unlike most vice-regal funerals, which are public, Bartleman's funeral was private but flags flew at half mast.
Writing
Bartleman published several works of
non-fiction
Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...
, both before and during his viceregal term. These included the childhood memoirs ''Out of Muskoka'' (2002) and ''Raisin Wine: A Boyhood in a Different Muskoka'' (2007), and the professional career memoirs ''On Six Continents'' (2004) and ''Rollercoaster: My Hectic Years as Jean Chrétien's Diplomatic Advisor'' (2005).
Following the end of his viceregal term, Bartleman has also published a trilogy of social justice novels, ''As Long as the Rivers Flow'' (2011), ''The Redemption of Oscar Wolf'' (2013) and ''Exceptional Circumstances'' (2015). ''As Long as the Rivers Flow'' was a finalist for the 2013 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature.
Honours
Orders and awards
* Bartleman was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now the Indspire Award) for public service in 1999
* On 1 June 2002, as Lieutenant-Governor, he received 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 ...
and became the Order's Chancellor
* On 1 June 2002, he was invested as a Knight of Justice in the Order of St. John
* In 2002, he received the Canadian version of the
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...
* On 25 January 2008, he received the Rotary Youth Impact Award for Lifetime Achievement from the
Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...
of Toronto West
* In 2011, he was made an 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 ...
"for his contributions to his country, notably as lieutenant governor, and as a champion of mental health, literacy and poverty reduction."
* In 2012, he received the Canadian version of the
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 ...
* The Dr. Hugh Lefave Award
* The Courage to Come Back Award
* The Deloitte Hero Inspiration Award
* The Jane Chamberlin Award for his efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness
* The Phi Delta Kappa Educator of the Year Award
* The DAREarts Cultural Award in recognition of the Lieutenant Governor's Book Program
Honorary degrees
Bartleman was awarded many
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 for his service, including the following:
Honorific eponyms
;Awards
*
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
* ''Out of Muskoka'' (2002)
* ''On Six Continents'' (2004)
* ''Rollercoaster: My Hectic Years as Jean Chrétien's Diplomatic Advisor'' (2005)
* ''Raisin Wine: A Boyhood in a Different Muskoka'' (2007)
* ''As Long as the Rivers Flow'' (2011)
* ''The Redemption of Oscar Wolf'' (2013)
* ''Exceptional Circumstances'' (2015)
* ''Seasons of Hope'' (2016)
* ''A Matter of Conscience'' (2018)