Lt. Governor enjoys her visit to her hometown

The visit of the Honourable Iona Campagnolo has come to an end, as she put in a full day of activities on Thursday, prior to her departure for the Queen Charlottes and then Vancouver Island.

For the Lt. Governor it was a chance to return to the town of her youth and the one which helped her to get her start into Canadian politics, first as a city councillor and then as the areas MP for one term.

She made mention of her times in the city of her youth frequently during her engagements and the Daily News featured her days activities on their Friday front page.

Lt.-Gov. enjoys Aboriginal Day
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, June 22, 2007

The Honourable Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo addressed the crowd at yesterday's National Aboriginal Day ceremony with a warm greeting, letting residents know her roots in Prince Rupert run deep.

"This is a city that had happy Aboriginal Days long before there was a port, or anyone else had even arrived," said Campagnolo. "I'm honoured to be here with you to celebrate today, and I'm glad to see so many little children here."

Remembering her teenage years in the city, she said has many fond memories of Prince Rupert, and particularly of attending high school.

"Going to Bomie' high, I had a wonderful time," she said with a smile. "I was boarding at the time because my family wasn't here, and there are fond memories I have of that high school and the graduating class, many of whom became very accomplished. Lawyers in London and a some became leaders in the First Nations community. This is 50 years ago, and I actually saw one of [my classmates] today, and I think that was the highlight of [the trip]."

While Lt.-Gov. Campagnolo has clearly enjoyed her time holding the prestigious position of Queen's representative in B.C., she doesn't believe she'll be holding it for another year.
"I doubt it really, although there are no fixed terms," she said later in an interview. "I have [already] been extended by a year so I think I've come to the end. I feel I've done my job, so it's time to go."

As for retiring and spending more time back in Prince Rupert, she said that is unlikely.

"It's possible, but I don't plan to retire. For me, retirement will be the end of the road, when God calls, you know? So I'll just keep right on going, probably working with the non-governmental agencies."

Recalling a specific highlight of her time as British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor is difficult for Campagnolo, because she attends around 350 events a year, and in the past six years, that works out at around 2,000 or so events.

"I would say the overall sense that I have would be being able to actually thank the real people who do the work of upholding the civil society and maintain the communities," said Campagnolo.
"Thanking all those volunteers and people who give up their time without hoping for reward. That's the value of this office, apart from its constitutional provisions."

And she said she will always hold a place in her heart for former Prince Rupert mayor Peter Lester, a man who taught her a great deal in her time as a city councillor.

"He was my mentor, it's true. I used to sit in his council and watch how he worked things, and always being aware of what hidden agendas were coming up. He was a wily person as you know, and I'm sure this city misses him. I was talking to Dan Miller not long ago, and he told me the same thing. [He was] a master politician, and chess player."

It was obvious the Lt.-Gov still has a soft spot for the city, and many local people showed yesterday that they have one for her as well.

-See Monday's Daily News for more photos from Iona Campagnolo's visit.