On January 30th, 2025, the Honourable Wendy Cocchia was sworn in as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, in a ceremony at the BC Legislature. As part of this ceremony, Her Honour gave her first speech as Lieutenant Governor, as recorded below:
“Elders, Chiefs, Premier Eby, Chief Justice Marchand, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Executive Council, Members of Parliament, Faith Leaders, Members of the Legislative Assembly, veterans, Rear Admiral Robinson, mayors, consuls general, distinguished guests, honoured colleagues, dear family and friends, and fellow British Columbians, good afternoon and ai’se’em. I think and hope that’s everyone!
I am sincerely humbled and honoured to have been asked by the Prime Minister to assume the position of British Columbia’s 31st Lieutenant Governor.
We are grateful to gather on this magnificent land, the traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. I acknowledge them, and I thank the esteemed Indigenous leaders present, including Councillor Norman Garry Sam, for their welcome and wisdom.
As the representative of the Crown, and as a British Columbian, I hold this relationship sacred, the relationship with all Indigenous peoples, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. I honour the deep and enduring connection that the 203 First Nations in our province have with the land, they have called home for millennia.
On this note, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Janet Austin, and His Honor Ashley Chester. Janet, our fifteen years of friendship and shared values inspire me. I look forward to building on your meaningful work. Your unwavering commitment to reconciliation and the wisdom you have shared about duty and compassion encourage me.
As I step into this role, I reflect on the three core values that deeply guide me:
the power of compassion, the call to service, and the perseverance to create a better world. These deeply rooted values are due to my family, who are my absolute everything.
My groom of 33 years and 194 days, my incomparable partner, Sergio. To our children, our purpose and inspiration for everything we do, Connie and Roy. My role models, my mother Lorrie and mother-in-law Concettina, and the memory of my father Roy senior and father-in-law Pasquale, who are watching over us today. Thank you all, for your compassion, tenacity, and unconditional support.
We gather here at the start of the Lunar New Year, an auspicious time of new beginnings and reflection. The Year of the Snake signifies transformation and wisdom. As I transition into this role, I lean on the wisdom my mother once taught me about empathy and perseverance. She said, “Wendy, you can’t understand how someone feels, until you walk a mile in their shoes.” I was five years old, and all I was thinking why would I walk so far in someone else’s shoes!
To me, this is one of life’s greatest lessons, making the decision to put ourselves in another’s place and feel their journey. Through our charitable work with families touched by neurodiversity, like ours, I have seen the journey of many and witnessed the transformative power of meaningful inclusion. It is not simply about making space for others or checking a box.
Meaningful inclusion involves asking the person: is this working for you? Do you feel fulfilled? Do you feel welcome, seen, and heard? Of course, this applies to more than neurodiversity, it is all the things that make someone unique, be it race, gender, sexual orientation, differing abilities or age, to highlight just a few.
Our Sovereign King Charles III recently said: “All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical. The degree to which we help one another and draw support from each other, be we people of faith or of none, is a measure of our civilization as nations.”
I am grateful and humbled to represent His Majesty The King and the Crown in British Columbia. The Crown is a symbol of continuity in a world where there is immense division and unpredictability. That sense of stability can help create unity, which is a precious commodity. This is an unusual time of economic uncertainty and rapidly changing global dynamics. Wherever possible, I will endeavor to build friendships and strengthen partnerships across Canada, across the Commonwealth, and around the world.
The Crown’s commitment to service is another aspect of this role that speaks to me. Today I reflect on how my family’s service began. In 1915, my great grandfather, Horace David Perkins, gave his life in France. He served as a Private in the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment. His ultimate sacrifice left a widow and three-year-old son, who then emigrated to Vancouver. I have never forgotten his sacrifice, allowing us the freedom to be here today. I am forever grateful to him and salute all those in uniform who serve to protect our country, and community.
Now for some of you, this is the first time you are seeing and hearing me. But why I am here is to see and hear you. I will be intently listening to you with all my heart and relentless perseverance.
As I look to our future, I am filled with hope. I see a British Columbia where empathy is not just encouraged but expected, where service is not just acknowledged but celebrated, and where meaningful inclusion is not just an idea, but a reality.
We already have this within us. My role above all is to serve as a connector, bringing people together to help build a province that reflects the very best of who we are. How will we do that? Let’s return to the simple, yet profound, reminder to walk a mile in another’s shoes. To treat others as you would want to be treated, and that empathy and perseverance are the foundation of a thriving economy and community.
Together, we will walk that mile, united by these principles and commit to creating the best possible future for all people.
Thank you, Merci, Həys̱xʔq̣ə Siém.”
-The Honourable Wendy Cocchia CM OBC, 31st Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia