British Columbia’s 30th Lieutenant Governor was Janet Austin – a long-time community builder who is respected across the political aisle and was intent on using her position to not only steward BC’s democracy, but also better our society. A Member of the Order of British Columbia and a recipient of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, service to her community is the hallmark of Her Honour’s career. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, she began her career as a public servant before moving to BC and working for BC Housing, overseeing Big Sisters of the BC Lower Mainland and leading the YWCA Metro Vancouver as their CEO. During her time at the YWCA, Her Honour helped build the non-profit into one of BC’s largest, while also serving on the boards of Translink, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, the Women’s Health Research Institute and more. Her Honour has been steadfast in trying to advance a respect for our democracy, meaningful reconciliation, inclusive communities and gender equality. For Her Honour, these are the ingredients required to create a better balance between the needs of people and nature.
The Hon. Janet Austin invited us to Government House in Victoria, while still serving, to help us better understand her role in our democracy and why change can’t happen overnight.
What do you think?
- After listening to this conversation, do you better understand the role of the Lieutenant Governor?
- Do you see the monarchy’s value? Or do you believe we need to move past having a representative of the monarch serving as the head of state?
- To have that debate – or any debate – what can we learn from Her Honour’s approach to complex issues?
- Do we need to be more patient when advocating for change
- Should we have more empathy for those that we disagree with?
- Do we, as a society, do a good enough job of listening to dissenting voices? Or do we ultimately only listen to those who subscribe to our own world-view?
- Are you concerned about the state of our democracy?