His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will be in Oakville on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 to deliver a keynote address during a dinner hosted by the Oakville Community Foundation, in partnership with the Oakville Chamber of Commerce.
The Governor General will address the importance of a coordinated community effort in welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada. On December 1, 2015, His Excellency hosted a forum at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa, on welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada. Panel discussions shed light on Canada’s diversity, inclusion and volunteerism efforts that are underway to prepare for the arrival of the Syrian refugees. The Governor General strongly believes that a smart and caring nation is built on giving.
David Lloyd Johnston was born on June 28, 1941. He is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who is the current Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation.
Johnston was born and raised in Ontario, studying there before enrolling at Harvard University and later Cambridge and Queen's universities. He went on to work as a professor at various post-secondary institutions in Canada, eventually serving administrative roles as dean of law at the University of Western Ontario, principal of McGill University, and president of the University of Waterloo. At the same time, Johnston involved himself with politics and public service, moderating political debates and chairing commissions in both the federal and provincial spheres, his most renowned position in that field being the chairmanship of the inquiry into the Airbus affair. He was in 2010 appointed as governor general by Queen Elizabeth II, on the recommendation of then Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, to replace Michaëlle Jean as viceroy. At the time, Johnston was predominantly praised as a worthy choice for the Queen's representative, though his appointment was denounced by some Quebec sovereigntists. Source:Wikipedia
As governor general, Johnston is entitled to be styled His Excellency while in office and The Right Honourable for the duration of his viceregal tenure and beyond. Given current practice, he will be sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada when his term as the Queen's representative ends.
The Oakville event will take place at the Oakville Conference Centre at 2515 Wyecroft Road starting at 5:30 PM. For tickets please contact the Oakville Chamber of Commerce.