Ray Hnatyshyn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Rt. Hon. Ramon John Hnatyshyn
24th Governor General of Canada
In office January 29, 1990 – February 8, 1995
Preceded by	Jeanne Sauvé
Succeeded by	Roméo Leblanc

Born	March 16, 1934 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Died	December 18, 2002
Spouse	Karen Gerda Nygaard Andreasen
Profession	Politician, Lawyer
Religion	Ukrainian Orthodox

Ramon John "Ray" Hnatyshyn, PC, CC, CMM, CD, BA, LL.B, QC FRHSC (hon) (anglicized pronunciation /nəˈtɪʃən/) (March 16, 1934 – December 18, 2002) was Canada's twenty-fourth governor general, serving from 1990 to 1995.

Ray Hnatyshyn, a Ukrainian Canadian, was born the son of Canadian senator John Hnatyshyn in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. As a youth he was an Air Cadet in #107 Spitfire Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in Saskatoon. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and practised law in that province until being elected to the House of Commons. He served as Conservative Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-area ridings from 1974 to 1988.

He was appointed as the energy minister under the Joe Clark government, and as house leader and justice minister under Brian Mulroney. Hnatyshyn was appointed governor-general on December 14, 1989, succeeding Jeanne Sauvé. He was officially sworn in January 29, 1990.

Hnatyshyn was largely responsible for popularizing the office of the governor general. He opened Rideau Hall, the governor general's official residence, to tourists in 1990, reversing Mme. Sauvé's security policy. He also opened the residence's skating rink to the public and hosted a rock concert to promote education.

He also established the Governor General's Awards for the Performing Arts in 1992. He was an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada club, H17416.

The Jean Chrétien government named Senator Roméo LeBlanc as his successor, and Mr. Hnatyshyn completed his term on February 6, 1995. During his time as the Queen's representative, he was the well-liked, humorous official host to 26 Heads of State and made at least 1200 speeches.

From April 1989 to January 1990, he practised law at the firm of Gowling, Strathy & Henderson, a practice he resumed following his term as Governor General. Upon his investiture as Governor General in 1990, he was ex-officio made a Companion of the Order of Canada, Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. John and awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration in recognition of his role as commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces. During his time on office his his wife wrote a book on the history of Rideau Hall which is still in print today and is sold at the Rideau Hall gift shop.

Hnatyshyn died of pancreatitis shortly before Christmas in 2002. According to tradition, he lay-in-state for several days in Canada's Senate Chamber. Though he was Ukrainian Orthodox, he was commemorated at a multi-faith ceremony held December 23, 2002 at Ottawa's Christ Church Cathedral, which included the funeral rite of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, which was officiated by Archbishop Yurij (Kalistchuk), Bishop of Toronto and the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, and a eulogy from CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge [1]. Governor General Adrienne Clarkson paid tribute to one of her predecessors via video [2] because she and her husband, John Ralston Saul, were en route to the Persian Gulf to spend Christmas with the Canadian troops there.

Arms of Ray Hnatyshyn

On March 16, 2004, the Government of Canada unveiled a $.49 postage stamp with an image of him taken on the day he became Governor General (January 29, 1990), he is dressed in formal wear, standing against a bronze, tone-on-tone background depicting part of the heraldic coat of arms created for him. The picture was taken by Canadian Press photographer Paul Chaisson. The stamp itself was created by Vancouver designer Susan Mavor depicting his humour and thoughtfulness. His widow Gerda was in attendance.

[edit] Spouse

On January 9, 1960, he married Karen Gerda Nygaard Andreasen, who as the spouse of the Governor General is made a Companion of the Order of Canada. They had two sons.

[edit] Honours

This list is not exhaustive.

Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (1979)
Appointed a Queen's Counsel for Canada (1988)
Honorary Life Member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan (1989)
St. Volodymyr Medal Award from the World Congress of Ukrainians (1989)
Companion of the Order of Canada (1990)
Commander of the Order of Military Merit (1990)
Knight of Justice the Order of St. John (1990)
Canadian Forces Decoration (1990)
125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (1992)
Honorary Fellow of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (1993)
Mount Scopus Award from the Hebrew University (1996)
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)

Preceded by Jeanne Sauvé	Governor General of Canada 1990–1995	Succeeded by Roméo LeBlanc

	Governors General of Canada
Monck \| Lisgar \| Dufferin \| Lorne \| Lansdowne \| Stanley \| Aberdeen \| Minto \| Grey \| Connaught \| Devonshire \| Byng \| Willingdon \| Bessborough \| Tweedsmuir \| Athlone \| Alexander \| Massey \| Vanier \| Michener \| Léger \| Schreyer \| Sauvé \| Hnatyshyn \| LeBlanc \| Clarkson \| Jean