List of female viceroys in Canada facts for kids

Canada is a country with a constitutional monarchy. This means that while we have a King, Charles III, he doesn't live here. So, someone else handles his daily duties in Canada. These people are called viceroys.

In Canada, the King's main representative is the Governor General of Canada. Each of Canada's ten provinces also has a representative called a lieutenant governor. Together, these people are the King's official representatives.

This article lists the amazing women who have served in these important roles. It also includes women who have been commissioners in Canada's three territories. Commissioners have a similar job to lieutenant governors, but they represent the Canadian government, not the King directly.

Governors General: Canada's Top Representatives

The Governor General of Canada is the King's representative for the whole country. Four women have held this very important job, and one is currently serving.

Image	Name	Home province	Started their job	Ended their job	Cool Facts
Jeanne Sauvé	Sauvé, JeanneJeanne Sauvé	Saskatchewan	14 May 1984	28 January 1990	She was the first woman ever to be Governor General of Canada.
Adrienne Clarkson	Clarkson, AdrienneAdrienne Clarkson	Ontario	7 October 1999	27 September 2005	She was the first Governor General from a visible minority group and the first Chinese Canadian. She was also the first without a military or political background.
Michaëlle Jean	Jean, MichaëlleMichaëlle Jean	Quebec	27 September 2005	1 October 2010	She was the first Black Canadian woman to serve as a viceroy in Canada.
Julie Payette	Payette, JulieJulie Payette	Quebec	2 October 2017	21 January 2021	She was the first former astronaut to be a viceroy in Canada.
Mary Simon	Simon, MaryMary Simon	Quebec	26 July 2021	incumbent	She is the first Inuit person to serve as a viceroy in Canada.

Lieutenant Governors: Provincial Representatives

A lieutenant governor is the King's representative in each Canadian province. Twenty-four women have served in this role, and seven are currently serving.

Image	Name	Province	Started their job	Ended their job	Cool Facts
	McGibbon, PaulinePauline McGibbon	Ontario	10 April 1974	15 September 1980	She was the very first woman to be a viceroy in Canadian history.
	McGonigal, PearlPearl McGonigal	Manitoba	23 October 1981	11 December 1986	She was the first female lieutenant governor in Manitoba.
	Hunley, Wilma HelenWilma Helen Hunley	Alberta	22 January 1985	11 March 1991	She was the first female lieutenant governor in Alberta.
	Fedoruk, SylviaSylvia Fedoruk	Saskatchewan	7 September 1988	31 May 1994	She was the first female lieutenant governor in Saskatchewan.
	Reid, MarionMarion Reid	Prince Edward Island	16 August 1990	30 August 1995	She was the first female lieutenant governor in Prince Edward Island.
Margaret McCain	McCain, MargaretMargaret McCain	New Brunswick	21 June 1994	18 April 1997	She was the first female lieutenant governor in New Brunswick.
Lise Thibault	Thibault, LiseLise Thibault	Quebec	30 January 1997	7 June 2007	She was the first female lieutenant governor in Quebec.
	Counsell, Marilyn TrenholmeMarilyn Trenholme Counsell	New Brunswick	18 April 1997	26 August 2003	She took over from Margaret McCain, becoming the first woman to succeed another female viceroy in Canada.
Hilary Weston	Weston, HilaryHilary Weston	Ontario	24 January 1997	7 March 2002
	Hole, LoisLois Hole	Alberta	11 February 2000	6 January 2005	She passed away while still in office.
Lynda Haverstock	Haverstock, LyndaLynda Haverstock	Saskatchewan	21 February 2000	1 August 2006
	Freeman, MyraMyra Freeman	Nova Scotia	17 May 2000	7 September 2006	She was the first female lieutenant governor in Nova Scotia.
Iona Campagnolo	Campagnolo, IonaIona Campagnolo	British Columbia	25 September 2001	30 September 2007	She was the first female lieutenant governor in British Columbia.
	Hagerman, Barbara OliverBarbara Oliver Hagerman	Prince Edward Island	31 July 2006	15 August 2011
	Francis, MayannMayann Francis	Nova Scotia	7 September 2006	12 April 2012	She was the second Black Canadian woman to be a viceroy in Canada.
Judith Guichon	Guichon, JudithJudith Guichon	British Columbia	2 November 2012	24 April 2018
	Schofield, Vaughn SolomonVaughn Solomon Schofield	Saskatchewan	22 March 2012	21 March 2018
Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau	Roy-Vienneau, JocelyneJocelyne Roy-Vienneau	New Brunswick	23 October 2014	2 August 2019	She passed away while still in office.
Lois Mitchell	Mitchell, LoisLois Mitchell	Alberta	12 June 2015	26 August 2020
Elizabeth Dowdeswell	Dowdeswell, ElizabethElizabeth Dowdeswell	Ontario	23 September 2014	14 November 2023
Janice Filmon	Filmon, JaniceJanice Filmon	Manitoba	19 June 2015	24 October 2022	She is the wife of a former Premier of Manitoba, Gary Filmon.
Antoinette Perry	Perry, AntoinetteAntoinette Perry	Prince Edward Island	20 October 2017	incumbent
Janet Austin	Austin, JanetJanet Austin	British Columbia	24 April 2018	incumbent
Judy Foote	Foote, JudyJudy Foote	Newfoundland and Labrador	3 May 2018	14 November 2023	She was the first female lieutenant governor in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Brenda Murphy	Murphy, BrendaBrenda Murphy	New Brunswick	8 September 2019	incumbent	She is the first openly LGBTQ+ lieutenant governor in Canada.
Salma Lakhani	Lakhani, SalmaSalma Lakhani	Alberta	26 August 2020	incumbent	She is the first South Asian and first Muslim person to hold a viceregal office in Canada.
Anita Neville	Neville, AnitaAnita Neville	Manitoba	24 October 2022	incumbent	She is the first Jewish lieutenant governor of Manitoba.
Edith Dumont	Dumont, EdithEdith Dumont	Ontario	14 November 2023	incumbent
	Aylward, Joan MarieJoan Marie Aylward	Newfoundland and Labrador	14 November 2023	incumbent

Territorial Commissioners: Leading the Territories

In Canada's three territories, a commissioner acts as the formal head. Unlike the Governor General or lieutenant governors, commissioners are chosen by the Government of Canada and represent it. Even though they are not officially viceroys, they do similar jobs in their territories as provincial lieutenant governors.

Thirteen women have served as commissioners, and one woman, Helen Maksagak, even served in two different territories.

Image	Name	Territory	Started their job	Ended their job	Cool Facts
	Christensen, IoneIone Christensen	Yukon	20 January 1979	10 October 1979	She was the first female territorial commissioner in Canadian history.
	Maksagak, HelenHelen Maksagak	Northwest Territories	16 January 1995	26 March 1999	She was the first female Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.
		Nunavut	1 April 1999	1 April 2000	She was the first Commissioner of Nunavut when it was created.
	Gingell, JudyJudy Gingell	Yukon	23 June 1995	1 October 2000
	Hansen, GlennaGlenna Hansen	Northwest Territories	31 March 2000	29 April 2005
	Hanson, Ann MeekitjukAnn Meekitjuk Hanson	Nunavut	21 April 2005	10 April 2010
	Van Bibber, GeraldineGeraldine Van Bibber	Yukon	1 December 2005	17 December 2010
Nellie Kusugak	Kusugak, NellieNellie Kusugak	Nunavut	10 April 2010 (acting)	10 May 2010	She later became the full Commissioner.
	Elias, EdnaEdna Elias	Nunavut	10 May 2010	11 May 2015
	Kusugak, NellieNellie Kusugak	Nunavut	11 May 2015 (acting); 23 June 2015 (official)	22 June 2020	She served as acting Commissioner twice.
	Thom, MargaretMargaret Thom	Northwest Territories	18 September 2017	incumbent
	Bernard, AngéliqueAngélique Bernard	Yukon	12 March 2018	incumbent
	Williams, Rebekah UqiRebekah Uqi Williams	Nunavut	22 June 2020 (acting)	12 January 2021
Eva Aariak	Aariak, EvaEva Aariak	Nunavut	14 January 2021	incumbent

See also

• List of female premiers in Canada
• List of elected and appointed female heads of state
• List of Canadian monarchs
• List of Canadian women government ministers