James Karl Bartleman (born 24 December 1939) is a former Canadian diplomat and author who served as the
27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the , who operates distinctly within the province bu ...
from 2002 to 2007.
Bartleman grew up in the
Muskoka town of
Port Carling
Port Carling is an unincorporated community in the Township of Muskoka Lakes in the Canadian province of Ontario.
It has been the municipal seat of the township since 1971. It has several hundred year-round residents and is a service centre for ...
, and he is a member of the
Chippewas of Mnjikaning First Nation
Chippewas of Rama First Nation, also known as Chippewas of Mnjikaning and Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation ( oj, Mnjikaning Anishinaabek, also alternatively Rama Anishinaabek), is an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) First Nation located in the prov ...
. In 1963, he earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree (BA) in History from the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...
, where he was initiated as a member of
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...
.
From 2007 to 2012, Bartleman was the Chancellor of the
Ontario College of Art and Design
Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...
(OCAD) in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
Foreign service career
Prior to taking on the role of lieutenant governor, Bartleman had a distinguished career of more than 35 years in the Canadian foreign service. He began his diplomatic career in what was then known as the Department of External Affairs (now
Global Affairs Canada
Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...
) in 1967. In 1972, he was given the task of opening Canada's first diplomatic mission in the newly independent People's Republic of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
. Bartleman also served in diplomatic posting in
Columbia. He was then made Canada's
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
(
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ) from 1981 to 1983. Upon his return from Cuba, he was appointed as director of security and intelligence for the Department of External Affairs.
After this, Bartleman served as
High Commissioner to
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
and Ambassador to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
(
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
) simultaneously from 1986 to 1990. From the dual posting he moved to post of Canadian Ambassador to the
North Atlantic Council
The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of permanent representatives of its member countries. It was established by Article 9 of the North A ...
of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
(NATO) in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
from 1990 to 1994. He was moved from NATO to the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
positions as
High Commissioner to South Africa (
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
) in 1998-1999 and to Australia (
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
) in 1999–2000. Finally, he was transferred back to Europe to serve as ambassador to the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
in Brussels, Belgium, from 2000 to 2002.
Bartleman was director of security and intelligence for the Department of External Affairs at the time of the
Air India Bombing. On 3 May 2007, he testified at the Air India Inquiry that he had presented an
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...
document to the
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
warning of a possible attack days prior to the bombing.
Bob Rae
Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
, who had been tasked with advising deputy PM
Anne McLellan, later admitted that he never bothered to interview Bartleman, the former head of intelligence for
Foreign Affairs Canada
Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...
.
Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario
Bartleman was sworn in as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on 7 March 2002 as Ontario's 41st
Vice-regal
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
representative (27th since confederation, 41st since the establishment of the post in 1792).
As is traditional to a vice-regal appointment, Bartleman used his position to spearhead three initiatives that he personally identifies with and considers important. During his mandate as Lieutenant Governor, he sought to:
# Reduce the stigma of mental illness;
# Fight racism and discrimination;
# Promote literacy among First Nations children.
To these ends, he initiated the Lieutenant Governor's Book Program in 2004. He has collected over 1.2 million books, donated from all corners of the province from both institutions and individuals, to stock school libraries in First Nations communities, particularly in
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...
. In 2005, to further promote literacy and bridge building, Bartleman initiated a program to pair up Native and non-Native schools in Ontario and
Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
, and set-u
summer camps for literacydevelopment in five northern First Nations communities.
Personal
Bartleman is related to honorary Chief of the Mnjikaning Indians
John Bigwin from his mother's side.
Writing
Bartleman published several works of
non-fiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...
, both before and during his viceregal term. These included the childhood memoirs ''Out of Muskoka'' (2002) and ''Raisin Wine: A Boyhood in a Different Muskoka'' (2007), and the professional career memoirs ''On Six Continents'' (2004) and ''Rollercoaster: My Hectic Years as Jean Chrétien's Diplomatic Advisor'' (2005).
Following the end of his viceregal term, Bartleman has also published a trilogy of social justice novels, ''As Long as the Rivers Flow'' (2011), ''The Redemption of Oscar Wolf'' (2013) and ''Exceptional Circumstances'' (2015). ''As Long as the Rivers Flow'' was a finalist for the 2013
Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature.
Honours
Orders and awards
* Bartleman was awarded the
National Aboriginal Achievement Award
The Indspire Awards, until 2012 the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, are annual awards presented by Indspire in Canada. The awards are intended to celebrate and encourage excellence in the Aboriginal community.
About
The awards were fi ...
(now the Indspire Award) for public service in 1999
* On 1 June 2002, as Lieutenant-Governor, he received the
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...
and became the Order's Chancellor
* On 1 June 2002, he was invested as a Knight of Justice in the
Order of St. John
* In 2002, he received the Canadian version of the
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...
* On 25 January 2008, he received the Rotary Youth Impact Award for Lifetime Achievement from the
Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
of Toronto West
* In 2011, he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
"for his contributions to his country, notably as lieutenant governor, and as a champion of mental health, literacy and poverty reduction."
* In 2012, he received the Canadian version of the
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...
* The Dr. Hugh Lefave Award
* The Courage to Come Back Award
* The Deloitte Hero Inspiration Award
* The Jane Chamberlin Award for his efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness
* The Phi Delta Kappa Educator of the Year Award
* The DAREarts Cultural Award in recognition of the Lieutenant Governor's Book Program
Honorary degrees
Bartleman has been awarded many
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
s for his service, including the following:
Honorific eponyms
;Awards
*
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
:
James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Awards
Bibliography
* ''Out of Muskoka'' (2002)
* ''On Six Continents'' (2004)
* ''Rollercoaster: My Hectic Years as Jean Chrétien's Diplomatic Advisor'' (2005)
* ''Raisin Wine: A Boyhood in a Different Muskoka'' (2007)
* ''As Long as the Rivers Flow'' (2011)
* ''The Redemption of Oscar Wolf'' (2013)
* ''Exceptional Circumstances'' (2015)
* ''Seasons of Hope'' (2016)
* ''A Matter of Conscience'' (2018)
See also
*
The Canadian Crown and Aboriginal peoples
The association between the Canadian Crown and Indigenous peoples in Canada stretches back to the first decisions between North American Indigenous peoples and European colonialists and, over centuries of interface, treaties were established c ...
*
List of Canadian university leaders
Since the development of the university sector in Canada a small number of Vice Chancellors (President/Principal) have served for 15 years or more. They include:
38 years: Sir John Dawson CMG (McGill 1855-93);
34 years: Cecil Jones (New Brunswi ...
References
External links
Lieutenant-Governor of OntarioOfficial Site
James Bartleman on The HourBartleman, James K. at ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Complete List of Posts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartleman, James
1939 births
Living people
Canadian autobiographers
First Nations politicians
First Nations novelists
Knights of Justice of the Order of St John
Lieutenant Governors of Ontario
Members of the Order of Ontario
People from the District Municipality of Muskoka
Writers from Ontario
University of Western Ontario alumni
Ojibwe people
Officers of the Order of Canada
People from Orillia
Ambassadors of Canada to the European Union
Permanent Representatives of Canada to NATO
Ambassadors of Canada to Cuba
Ambassadors of Canada to Israel
High Commissioners of Canada to South Africa
High Commissioners of Canada to Mauritius
High Commissioners of Canada to Namibia
High Commissioners of Canada to the Solomon Islands
High Commissioners of Canada to Eswatini
High Commissioners of Canada to Lesotho
Ambassadors of Canada to Palau
High Commissioners of Canada to Nauru
High Commissioners of Canada to Australia
Ambassadors of Canada to the Marshall Islands
Ambassadors of Canada to the Federated States of Micronesia
21st-century Canadian novelists
Canadian male novelists
Canadian writers of young adult literature
Indspire Awards
21st-century Canadian male writers
21st-century First Nations writers
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Chancellors of OCAD University