Janice Filmon new vice-regal

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She has been described as a force of nature, a human dynamo, a volunteer extraordinaire and a people person of unparalleled skills.

And now Janice Filmon, wife of former premier Gary Filmon, is Manitoba’s lieutenant-governor.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Filmon Monday as the second woman to be Manitoba’s lieutenant-governor.

“She is the best selection for our province — she is a proud, proud ambassador for this province,” said Annitta Stenning, president and CEO of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, whose board Filmon has chaired for the past three years.

Stenning goes back 20 years with Filmon, to Leadership Winnipeg days. “I got to see how she mentored young people — she’s such a passionate person about the value of volunteerism,” said Stenning, who also worked with Filmon at the Nellie McClung Foundation.

“The fact she’s a woman is a bonus. She’s celebrated the leadership of women.”

Pearl McGonigle was Manitoba’s first female lieutenant-governor. She served from 1981 to 1986.

Filmon replaces Philip Lee, who has served in the position since August 2009.

Family friend Barbara Biggar has known Filmon since the early 1980s, when Filmon volunteered with the Heart and Stroke Foundation while raising her four children.

Filmon is a monumental fundraiser, a force of nature when she commits to helping, Biggar said. “She’s a dynamo — I’ve seen her leadership abilities grow exponentially over the years. The prime minister has made an outstanding appointment.”

“She is so positive, so enthusiastic; she is so warm with people. She has a memory like no one else I’ve ever met” when it comes to remembering who people are, Biggar said.

‘She is the best selection for our province — she is a proud, proud ambassador for this province’

— Annitta Stenning, president and CEO of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, whose board Janice Filmon has chaired for the past three years

Premier Greg Selinger said Monday, “Ms. Filmon’s many years of community service will serve her well in her new duties. We wish her well as she assumes the role of Manitoba’s newest lieutenant-governor.”

“A wonderful choice for LG,” tweeted Manitoba Treaty commissioner Jamie Wilson.

“Congratulations, Janice, well deserved,” tweeted Mayor Brian Bowman.

“She’s a wonderful human being,” said Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister.

Filmon is a member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba.

Harper said the appointment was made in keeping with the non-partisan selection process he announced in November 2012.

The prime minister said Filmon is a social worker, an exemplary volunteer and a motivational speaker who is extensively involved in her community and known for her charitable work. Friends said she graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1963 with a science degree from what later became known as the faculty of human ecology.

Filmon currently chairs the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, she is a board member of the Winnipeg Airports Authority and the founding chair woman of Manitoba A.L.I.V.E. (A Leadership Initiative in Voluntary Efforts), which teaches selected high school students the skills needed in the voluntary sector.

Lieutenant-governors serve terms of no less than five years, during which they act as the province’s vice-regal representative.

Harper also took the opportunity to thank Lee for his service as lieutenant-governor of Manitoba since Aug. 4, 2009.

“Janice Filmon is a strong leader who has been extensively involved in her community for decades. As a champion of health care and education, she has been an exemplary volunteer who has helped a wide range of Manitobans through her tireless efforts. It is a pleasure to announce her appointment as Manitoba’s next lieutenant-governor where she can continue to dedicate herself to bettering the province’s future,” said Harper.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca