Message to British Columbians
from Janet Austin, 30Th Lieutenant Governor
January 29, 2025
Today, as I conclude my term as Lieutenant Governor of British, I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Lieutenant Governor Designate, Wendy Cocchia, who has agreed to serve as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of BC.
An exceptional business and community leader, whom I hold in highest regard, Her Honour Wendy Cocchia is among the most hardworking, generous, and compassionate people I have ever known. She will serve British Columbia with grace and distinction.
As my term concludes, I reflect on the enormous privilege of serving as Lieutenant Governor and travelling the province, awestruck by our glorious lands and the rich diversity of our people.
I have been warmly welcomed by Mayors and Councils, Chiefs and Elders, business and community leaders, and generous volunteers from whom I’ve learned so much. I’ve also served as Patron to some 108 organizations and presided over multitudinous ceremonies to honour British Columbians in all walks of life. All in all with more than 2,000 formal speeches, written and delivered to diverse audiences on diverse topics.
Many consequential things have happened during my nearly seven years in office.
I was deeply honored to provide Royal Assent to the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, after it was unanimously adopted in November 2019. We’ve travelled some distance in the ensuing years and today British Columbians are witness to, and partners with, First Nations throughout BC who are seeking new opportunities to benefit their communities.
In doing so, they are addressing a wide range of issues that our Province & municipalities are also grappling with. Our challenge now is to help British Columbians understand that the work of Reconciliation is not only a legal and moral imperative but a strategic investment in a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future for all Canadians.
The Global pandemic has reshaped our lives, our work, and the world in unexpected ways. The pandemic years have left us with some persistent challenges that will require our abiding attention notably issues of mental health that are especially acute among young people.
But the pandemic also brought significant global increases in benevolence and pro-social behaviours, altruistic and trust-building behaviours that are correlated with happiness & life-satisfaction.
Although it may seem that this blossoming of trust & care has now passed from view, there is evidence that it persists at the local neighbourhood level. We’ve seen this in the legions of volunteers throughout the province, and the greater value we place on community, based on a desire for connection and to find a meaningful place in community life.
The passing of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla, caused us to reflect on the enduring presence of the Crown in our lives and on our constitutional monarchy, which is a stabilizing characteristic in the governance of our country.
We have witnessed the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires, wind-storms, and floods that have ravaged our communities, devastated critical infrastructure, and laid waste to farmland and agricultural operations. While we cannot ignore the truth that the past two summers have been the worst fire seasons on record, I am hopeful about new technologies that are now cost-competitive with traditional alternatives.
There is also the technology and artificial intelligence revolution that holds much promise for health, environment, and economy if anchored in a values-based framework that has the wellbeing of people and planet at its core.
I shall always hold dear the opportunities I’ve had to engage with Members of our Legislative Assembly and elected officials at all levels of government. I have enormous respect for those who step up to the noble, but often thankless, task of serving in elected office. It’s a vocation that demands dedication, self-sacrifice, and a relentless pursuit of the common good. Theirs is among the highest of callings and we owe them all a debt of gratitude for the many sacrifices they make for the privilege of serving us.
The role of Lieutenant Governor has provided me opportunities to bring together people of diverse views for thoughtful conversations on contemporary issues. I’ve also had the privilege of developing programs that reflect the three themes I adopted at the out set of my mandate; Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Democracy and Civic Engagement.
Some highlights of this work include: the BC Reconciliation Awards, the Lieutenant Governor’s Journalism Fellowship, the Human Trafficking Prevention Network, the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Awards, Forums for Women in Military and Policing Leadership, Feminizing First Aid, dialogues on democracy and many other things.
Despite all the challenges ahead for our Province, I leave office with what I believe is a realistic sense of optimism and hope for the future. There are many reasons for this, chief among which is the enormous respect I have for the ingenuity, work ethic, and generosity of British Columbians.
By invoking the word hope, I want to be clear that hope is not blind optimism, or the passive idea that things will simply work out. Rather, it is the active conviction that together, with courage and effort, we can claim the agency and power to make things better. It is the knowledge that the future is not something we passively enter it is something we create!
Throughout my tenure, I’ve done my best to uphold our democracy, and to defend our democratic conventions and public institutions. But in the current age, the structures of democracy seem fragile and insufficient. Clearly, we must defend our democratic structures, but more than that we must practice and nurture the underlying values that shape & define the society we want.
It is my most fervent wish that Canadians will continue to value and uphold the principles of peace, order, and good government that underpin our democracy. The conversations we must have begin in our relationships with each other, in communities, across social barriers, within families and between generations.
They must be guided by understanding of & respect for the potential of every young child, each new Canadian and all our First Peoples; the rich and full diversity of culture, gender, ethnicity, and ability that comprises our marvelous Province.
Our goal must be to weave together the different strands in our communities to create a harmonious tapestry, balanced & with a place for all. This is a never-ending task but one that makes life worth the living.
Hay’sxw’qa. Merci. Thank you.
Janet Austin