When she was appointed to succeed the popular former broadcaster David Onley as Ontario’s 29th lieutenant-governor, Ontarians could be forgiven for asking, “Elizabeth Who?”
The fact is, Elizabeth Dowdeswell was born in Northern Ireland, raised in Saskatchewan, and had spent her life devoted to global environmental sustainability, such as leading the United Nations’ environment program in Kenya. So, it was no wonder most Ontarians had never heard of her.
But that was then.
In September 2014, she became the Queen’s representative in Ontario and began her term with a “listening tour” that over the course of her term, took her to all of the province’s 124 ridings. She decided to become the person that hundreds of political leaders dumped their problems on — everyone from the reeve of a tiny hamlet in northern Ontario to the premier of the province. Which is why, at a farewell dinner in Dowdeswell’s honour held last week at the Royal Ontario Museum, Doug Ford described the imminently departing Dowdeswell as “like my personal therapist.”
Over the past more than nine years that’s she had the job, Dowdeswell has attended 5,300 official engagements, given royal assent to 300 bills in the legislature, and championed the nurturing of our democracy in unprecedented fashion. It’s a measure of how well she did the job that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was content to leave her in it, well past the normal five-year term.
In fact, Dowdeswell will leave the job next week as the longest-serving lieutenant-governor in Ontario history, having done the job with two premiers (Ford and Kathleen Wynne), two monarchs (Elizabeth II and Charles III) and 15 million Ontarians. And she’s done it all at a time when most people have long since retired. Later this week on Nov. 9, she will turn 79 years old.
Her Honour’s indispensability truly shone during the COVID-19 pandemic. She touched base with local leaders all over Ontario, either by Zoom or in person, and became an advocate for their concerns. And she took that responsibility to heart. As she once reminded me, “A lieutenant-governor’s responsibilities include the right to advise, to encourage, and to warn.” It was that last right that Dowdeswell particularly relished, as she took concerns from all over Ontario to her regular, private meetings with Ford.
“It never leaves the office,” Ford said of his conversations with the LG at last week’s farewell dinner. “From day one, I was pretty nervous, but you made me feel right at home. And I learned so much from you. Your professionalism is second to none and I’m so grateful for your friendship.”
“You’ve represented a combination of dignity and good humour in the 28 years you’ve been lieutenant-governor,” joked Bob Rae, Ontario’s 21st premier, now Canada’s United Nations ambassador. “There can be no better representative of the Crown than you.”
That seems to be a widely held view. Some months ago, after she spoke so eloquently at a book launch at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, former Ontario finance minister Greg Sorbara turned to me and said: “Let’s just give her the job for life.”
Even though she performed her viceregal responsibilities for almost twice as long as most, Dowdeswell admitted she’s not anxious to leave.
“It’s a time of mixed emotions,” she told the invitation-only audience at the ROM. “You’ve all been a part of my journey. Most days, I’m in denial, that I’m not really leaving. But it’s been the privilege of a lifetime.”
During her term, Dowdeswell effectively became Ontario’s “Story-Teller-in-Chief."
"And I thank you for trusting me to tell those stories. There wasn’t a day when I failed to learn something new."
Dowdeswell also learned that while a lieutenant-governor doesn’t have any political power per se, she does have “convening power,” which she didn’t hesitate to use. I can tell you from first-hand experience, when the LG’s people call and say, “Her Honour would like to see you,” you do make the trip to Queen’s Park.
She brought scientists and community activists together to figure out how to build an inclusive, more sustainable future. During the pandemic, she organized work for underemployed musicians, to create zoom videos for residents in devastated long-term care homes.
Consequential things happened on her watch: COVID-19; Canada’s 150th birthday, geopolitical conflict, Queen Elizabeth’s death. As the LG put it: “Anxiety and joy in equal measure.” And through it all, Dowdeswell was a master at providing what an LG can uniquely offer: “a consistent presence, stability, continuity, and comfort," as she describes it.
Dowdeswell concluded her speech with three hopes: first, that reconciliation with Indigenous peoples would continue; second, that Ontarians would “embrace our role in safeguarding democracy. The ground rules for living together can’t be taken for granted. Be vigilant;” and third, “recognize how fortunate we are to live in this country. I encourage Ontario to be the best version of itself.”
Ford added: “I’m going to miss you tremendously. If you want me to be your personal driver, I will be.”
But it was Ambassador Rae who put the perfect finishing touches on the evening when he reminded the audience that the British architect Christopher Wren had no statue noting his greatness in his most magnificent creation, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
“Instead,” Rae said, “there’s a plaque on his tomb there that reads: ‘If you seek his monument, look around you.’ I would say the same thing about Her Honour.”
Steve Paikin is a member of the TVO bargaining unit of the Canadian Media Guild that went on strike. During the labour dispute, he wrote a weekly column for The Trillium, but, as the TVO workers are returning to work today, this is the final instalment. We wish Steve and all of our TVO media colleagues well.
Editor's note: A previous version of this column said Dowdeswell was the longest-serving lieutenant-governor in Canadian history when it should have said Ontario history.
