Ray Hnatyshyn
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| The Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn PC CC CMM CD QC FRHSC (hc) LLD (Sask, hc) LLD (Mem, hc) LLD (Sask) BA (Alb, hc) BA (Sask) |
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| In office January 29, 1990 – February 8, 1995 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien |
| Preceded by | Jeanne Sauvé |
| Succeeded by | Roméo LeBlanc |
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| Born | March 16, 1934 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Died | December 18, 2002 (aged 68) Ottawa, Ontario |
| Spouse | Karen Gerda Nygaard Andreasen |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
| Religion | Ukrainian Orthodox |
Ramon John Hnatyshyn PC CC CMM CD QC FRHSC (hc) (commonly known as Ray Hnatyshyn, anglicized pronunciation IPA: /nəˈtɪʃən/) (March 16, 1934 – December 18, 2002) was Canada's twenty-fourth Governor General, serving from 1990 to 1995.
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[edit] Background
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. In 2002 Hnatyshyn was installed as Chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa.
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.
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. During Hnatyshyn's time in office, Gerda wrote a book on the history of Rideau Hall which is still in print today and is sold at the Rideau Hall gift shop.
[edit] Titles, honours, and awards
[edit] Shorthand titles
- March 1, 1934 – June 4, 1979: Mr. Ramon John Hnatyshyn
- June 4, 1979 – January 29, 1990: The Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, PC, MP.
- January 29, 1990 – February 6, 1995: His Excellency the Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, PC, CC, CMM, KStJ, CD, QC.
- February 6, 1995 – December 18, 2002: The Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn PC, CC, CMM, KStJ, CD, QC.
[edit] Honours
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