Tucked away behind the rhododendrons, hostas and hellebores two-and-a-half kilometres west of the Legislative Assembly, Victoria’s Government House is a local landmark. The surrounding gardens featuring BC plants and trees (and an impressive English Country Garden, as well) draw hundreds of locals and tourists every year.

It is also the official residence of BC’s lieutenant governor, the vice-regal representative of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Vice-regal representative? Visitors wandering the grounds may wonder what exactly is a vice-regal? And what goes on inside that magnificent modern Tudor mansion?

Its present occupant, The Honourable Janet Austin, understands. She is, after all, the current lieutenant governor, appointed in June 2018 and the 30th holder of the position.

“It connects us to a tradition of stability,” she says, explaining her role. “It connects us to the history and tradition of parliamentary democracy, of equality under the law. These are basic democratic conventions.”

Her Honour says her position sets Canada apart from many other countries in the world “where we see a fair bit of dysfunction and instability right now. I’m a firm believer that our constitutional monarchy is a bit of a steadying rudder for our country.”

Her role is both symbolic and ceremonial. She hands out medals and citations, greets dignitaries and hosts the annual New Year’s Day levee at Government House. Yes, she has met the Queen (at a private audience last October) and her staff keeps Buckingham Palace apprised of what’s going on in BC as a matter of courtesy.

Some may think the position archaic and irrelevant. Irrelevant? Just think back to the last provincial election when then-premier Christy Clark, in search of a majority, asked the previous lieutenant governor, The Honourable Judith Guichon, to send British Columbians back to the polls. Instead, Guichon called upon John Horgan to form a minority government. “I was guided by what’s best for the province and what would produce the best result for British Columbians,” she said at the time. In constitutional matters, the office of lieutenant governor reigns supreme. Her Honour Janet Austin says she shares the former lieutenant governor’s prudence.

“I’m not a constitutional lawyer but I think I have a pretty reasonable grasp. Should I be in a position where I’m required to make a key decision, I will have access to excellent legal advice. I feel confident in my judgment. I would deal with it very seriously and very diligently.”

Commitment. Her friends say that describes the present lieutenant governor perfectly. Born and raised in Calgary, Her Honour relocated to BC in 1988 to oversee new social housing builds, driven by a desire to help others.

“It’s always been important to me to make a positive contribution,” she says, “and BC Housing provided that opportunity.”

In 2002, she became the CEO of YWCA Metro Vancouver, overseeing a network of staff, offices and outreach initiatives providing services to 60,000 men, women and children a year. She also served as the executive director of Big Sisters of BC and sat on the Board of Translink. Like other accomplished administrators, she joined the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, eventually becoming its chair in 2014. Life was good. Her career was progressing smoothly. Then suddenly, out of the blue, she was summoned to the phone.

“I received a call in February 2018 from the Prime Minister’s Office, and I assumed they were calling because the PM was coming to town, and perhaps there was an event they wanted me to attend. They told me the reason they were calling was because they wanted my permission to do a security clearance for a possible appointment as lieutenant governor. That was the first I heard of it. I was very surprised. I think I’m a relatively modest person,” continues Austin. “I assumed they were talking to other people. They told me it was a possible appointment, so I didn’t assume I would be the leading candidate.”

Modest, yes, but not shy. And not about to shirk from the responsibilities that come with being a vice-regal. When the Prime Minister called to ask if she would accept the role, she enthusiastically agreed.

“I don’t see myself as someone who craves the spotlight but I’m not uncomfortable in a public role. When it’s part of the job, you take on that responsibility as well,” she says.

“Janet walks in the room, she says hello, and you fall in love with her,” says Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, CEO of Vancouver’s Century Plaza Hotel and co-founder of the Pacific Autism Family Network. They met years ago at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade when Lisogar-Cocchia was the board’s chair.

“Janet’s fantastic to watch in a boardroom setting,” she says, recounting an earlier board meeting. “She was one of a few in the room that had a strong opinion on the matter and because she was factually stating her position, she held her own. She just held strong to it and asked for more research on the topic. Later [the proposal] came back and was accepted.”

“She’s a very collaborative person. That’s one of her greatest strengths,” adds Evi Mustel, founder and CEO of the market research firm Mustel Group. “I mean, when you’re in a room with the Board of Directors, I think there’s 36 of them, and they’re all strong personalities, she was very good at bringing all the different factions together and listening to everyone’s point of view. If I had to pick one word to describe Janet, I’d say passionate. She really pushes herself when she’s passionate about the issues she’s concerned about. She’s a very strong bridge-builder.”

As the province’s 30th lieutenant governor, Her Honour has continued her penchant for hard work and bridge building. In the first four months of her term, she attended, addressed or participated in nearly 200 activities. They included handing out service awards, hosting teas and entertaining visiting dignitaries. She is also the official patron of 50 arts, military and service organizations. Her role is largely prescribed by custom and tradition, but Her Honour wants to be more than be a figurehead.

“There are three things I’d like to champion in my term. The first is promoting equality, inclusion, diversity and pluralism. Number two, I’d like to be a voice championing reconciliation with our indigenous peoples, and the third is around democracy. These issues are important to society and they’re important to me, so it’s about bringing profile to them. This can be done in a number of ways. It can be done through public speaking, it can be done through handling our communications more broadly at Government House, and it can be done through work I might do to align with and champion other organizations and individuals where there’s an alignment of goals and values.”

Case in point, Her Honour organized a roundtable and breakfast at the Vancouver Club last September.

“I brought together a group of contacts to lay out for them what my three priorities were, to talk through some practical elements of how they may be executed, what concrete tasks we were looking at and to get their feedback.”

“That’s Janet to the core. It’s not words, it’s action,” says Lisogar-Cocchia who attended the function. “She really means it, and she makes it happen. I have no doubt we’ll see measurables with those three initiatives.”

With hundreds of public events in addition to pursuing her own objectives on her plate, Her Honour admits she has a busy schedule.

“A lot of my time goes into preparing for public speaking. I take the time to learn about the organizations I’m meeting with and I’m speaking to and I do my very best to understand the issues that are critical to them. So, I would say, in terms of how I spend my time, it’s probably a split between preparation, attendance at events and hosting. There’s no such thing as a weekend,” she admits.

Life at Government House sounds grand – there’s a staff of 18, consisting of an operations team, communications and support people, an executive chef and sous chef, service staff and a maintenance man – but despite being surrounded by impressive meeting rooms and the staff to maintain them, Her Honour says living at Government House isn’t that much different from before. She lives in a two-bedroom apartment within the building with her husband His Honour Ashley Chester and the Vice-Regal Canine Consort McDuff Austin-Chester. McDuff is a charming West Highland Terrier.

“He’s good at his job,” Austin laughs. “He’s an ambassador for the House. He’ll come down and shake a paw with people who are in attendance. He attracts a crowd. Often there’s a lineup to cuddle him.”

McDuff, incidentally, has his own Instagram account and webpage.

The vice-regals like to keep things simple. His Honour Ashley Chester is a good cook and, unless there’s an official event occurring, in which case the kitchen staff takes over, “we cook for each other.”

Her Honour likes to hike and ride her bike to decompress. “Sometimes, I’ll run,” she says. She’s a voracious reader and an ardent swimmer. The outdoor swimming pool is a welcome resource. Mind you, navigating the connection between the pool and the residence can be tricky as Her Honour remembers from an incident last September.

“I had to prop the door open so I could go for a swim and when I finished to get back in, the door was closed. I was out in the pool area thinking how am I going to get back? I faced the security camera and waved and pointed to the door, but nobody happened to be looking at it at that moment. So, I thought well, I’ll just have to climb over the fence and ring the doorbell. And that’s what I did.”

One can imagine the surprise when security answered the bell.

As for the future, Her Honour’s term lasts another four years and, although it can be extended, she’s unsure about what she’ll do next.

“I’ll be 66 when I’m done, and it’ll be important to me to stay engaged in the community and continue to do work that is meaningful. Whether that’s volunteer or paid work I have no idea. I don’t really have any plans. I think we’ll just wait to see what life offers, but I’ll definitely remain engaged in the community and in the province.”

In the meantime, she’s delighted to carry on, doing meaningful work as she puts it, in the service of the Crown.

“It’s a privilege to be in a position to meet people from other countries, to meet visiting diplomats, to meet people who have distinguished themselves and I really enjoy the opportunity to engage with organizations that do really splendid work on behalf of communities throughout the province. I take it as a very important responsibility.”

Sidebar

If you were to meet your 20-year-old self, what advice would you give her?

“Take more risks. The older I get, the more confident I’ve become. When you’re young and perhaps not as confident, you’re less likely to put yourself in different situations. I think, yeah, I would have been more adventurous.”

Who or what has influenced you the most and why?

“I had wonderful parents who came from a very strong ethical framework and moral compass, you could say, and that definitely influenced my views about what’s important in life and in society. Someone I think is marvellous is Nelson Mandela. Very few people, I think, would be able to reach out the way he did and turn an enemy into an ally. It’s something we need a lot more of.”

What are you most grateful for?

“My health, my family and the privilege of doing meaningful work.”

What does success mean to you?

“Making a difference. It means contributing in a positive way. It means leaving the world a better place, however you want to frame it.”

2,714 views