Iona Campagnolo

Iona Victoria Campagnolo (née Hardy; October 18, 1932 – April 4, 2024) was a Canadian politician who served as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 2001 to 2007; Campagnolo was the first woman to hold that office. Prior to becoming lieutenant governor, she was a Cabinet member in the Liberal government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

Life and career
Born Iona Victoria Hardy on Galiano Island, she got her start in politics in 1966 when she was elected an alderwoman in the city council of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In 1974, she turned to federal politics, running successfully as a Liberal Party candidate for the House of Commons of Canada in the riding of Skeena. In 1976, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed her to the Cabinet as Minister of Amateur Sport. Frank King, the Chairman of the Calgary Olympic Development Organization credited Campagnolo as the first person to share the vision of Calgary hosting the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, assisting the group in securing $200 million in federal funding for the organization's bid. She lost her seat to NDP challenger Jim Fulton in the 1979 election.

In 1982, she became president of the Liberal Party, a largely administrative position. During the 1984 convention which elected John Turner as party leader, Campagnolo created a minor furor within the party when she said that second-place leadership candidate Jean Chrétien was "second in the balloting, but first in our hearts".

When John Turner became Liberal leader in 1984, a television camera caught Turner patting Campagnolo's bottom. Although Campagnolo herself dismissed it (and patted Turner right back), the incident was used to paint Turner as being out of touch with contemporary women's issues.

Campagnolo ran in North Vancouver—Burnaby in the September 1984 election but was defeated in the Mulroney landslide that reduced Turner's Liberals to 40 seats. She did not run for re-election as party president at the next Liberal convention in 1986.

In 1973, Campagnolo was made a Member of the Order of Canada and promoted to Officer in 2008. In 1998, she received the Order of British Columbia.

In 1992, Campagnolo was elected as the founding chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia and served in the position until 1998. She received an honorary degree from UNBC in 1999.

Campagnolo was the founding Chair of the non-profit Fraser Basin Council, serving from 1997 to 2001.

In 2001, on the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, she was appointed by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson as British Columbia's first female Lieutenant Governor. At her swearing-in, Campagnolo concluded her remarks in Chinook, saying, "konoway tillicums klatawa kunamokst klaska mamook okoke huloima chee illahie" - meaning: "everyone was thrown together to make this strange new country (British Columbia)." As the Queen's viceroy in British Columbia, she was styled The Honourable for life. However, as she was already a Member of The Queen's Privy Council for Canada before she became lieutenant-governor, she was already styled The Honourable. She served in that position until September 30, 2007.

In 2003 the Chief Herald of Canada granted armorial bearings to Campagnolo.

Campagnolo died on April 4, 2024, at the age of 91.

Personal life
Campagnolo married Louis in 1952 with whom she had two children. The couple were later divorced.

Honours and awards




Honorary degrees
Iona Campagnolo received many honorary degrees in recognition of her distinguished career in politics and her service as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia; these included: