 | David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will be the Official Guest of Honour at the 2011 Games on July 30, 2011. His Excellency joins a long list of illustrious Canadians who have opened the Games starting in 1948 with Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King. The Official Ceremonies will take place at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, July 30, 2011. | |
Maxville - Jul. 25, 2011 - David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will be the Official Guest of Honour at the 2011 Games on July 30, 2011. His Excellency joins a long list of illustrious Canadians who have opened the Games starting in 1948 with Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King.
Since then the Games have welcomed four more Prime Ministers, sports heroes such as Jean Beliveau, media personalities such as Lloyd Robertson, as well as Defence Minister Peter MacKay, former Auditor General Sheila Fraser, astronaut Steve MacLean, and our much decorated Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Highlanders Regiment for the Year of the Veteran.
The Governor General began his professional career as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University in 1966, moving to the Law Faculty at the University of Toronto in 1968. He became dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario in 1974. In 1979, he was named principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University, and in July 1994, he returned to the McGill Faculty of Law as a full-time professor. In June 1999, he became the fifth president of the University of Waterloo.
The Governor General has served on many provincial and federal task forces and committees.
He has also served on the boards of a number of companies, including Arise, CGI, Fairfax, and Masco. He was president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec. He was the founding chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, chaired the federal government’s Information Highway Advisory Council, and served as the first non?American chair of the Board of Overseers at Harvard University. He is the author or co?author of two dozen books, holds honorary doctorates from over a dozen universities, and has been awarded the Order of Canada (Companion).
He holds an LL.B. from Queen’s University (1966), an LL.B. from the University of Cambridge (1965), and an AB from Harvard University (1963). While at Harvard, he was twice selected for the All?American hockey team and is a member of Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame. His academic specializations include securities regulation, information technology and corporate law.
He was born in Sudbury, Ontario, and is married to Sharon Johnston. They have five adult daughters and eight grandchildren.
Sworn in on October 1, 2010, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston is the 28th governor general since Confederation.
“The Governor General’s presence at the Games as the Official Guest continues the tradition of welcoming eminent Canadians and is especially fitting as the Games celebrates the Year of the Clans,” states Games President Donaldson MacLeod. “Indeed, it is an honour not only for the Games, but all of Glengarry to welcome His Excellency to the 2011 Glengarry Highland Games.”
The Official Ceremonies will take place at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, July 30, 2011.
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