Ray Hnatyshyn

Ray Hnatyshyn
24th Governor General of Canada
In office
January 29, 1990 – February 8, 1995
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime Minister
Preceded byJeanne Sauvé
Succeeded byRoméo LeBlanc
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Personal details
Born
Ramon John Hnatyshyn

(1934-03-16)March 16, 1934
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedDecember 18, 2002(2002-12-18) (aged 68)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Cause of deathPancreatitis
Resting placeBeechwood Cemetery
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Spouse
(m. 1960)
ChildrenJohn, Carl[1]
Parent
Alma materUniversity of Saskatchewan (BA, LLB)
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • politician
Signature
Military service
AllegianceCanada
BranchRoyal Canadian Air Force Reserve
Service years1951-1956
Unit23 Wing Auxiliary

Ramon John Hnatyshyn PC CC CMM CD QC (Can) QC (Sask) FRHSC(hon) (/nəˈtɪʃən/ nə-TISH-ən; March 16, 1934 – December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as the 24th governor general of Canada from 1990 to 1995.

Hnatyshyn was born and educated in Saskatchewan and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force prior to being elected to the House of Commons in 1974. On June 4, 1979, Hnatyshyn was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada[2] and served as a minister of the Crown in two non-successive governments until 1988.

He was appointed governor general by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. He replaced Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé as viceroy, and occupied the post until succeeded by Roméo LeBlanc in 1995. As the Queen's representative, Hnatyshyn followed an egalitarian approach by reversing some exclusive policies of his predecessors, such as by opening up Rideau Hall to ordinary Canadians and tourists alike, and was praised for raising the stature of Ukrainian Canadians.

He subsequently practiced law and sat as Chancellor of Carleton University before dying of pancreatitis on December 18, 2002.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBCarchive-swornin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Privy Council Office (October 30, 2008), Information Resources > Current Chronological List of Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada > 1971-1980, Queen's Printer for Canada, archived from the original on February 15, 2016, retrieved March 2, 2009