James Bartleman

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 the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade) 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. He was then made Canada's ambassador to Cuba (Havana) 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 and Ambassador to Israel (Tel Aviv) simultaneously from 1986 to 1990. From the dual posting he moved to post of Canadian Ambassador to the North Atlantic Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium from 1990 to 1994. He was moved from NATO to the Commonwealth of Nations positions as High Commissioner to South Africa (Pretoria) in 1998-1999 and to Australia (Canberra) in 1999-2000. Finally, he was transferred back to Europe to serve as Ambassador to the European Union 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 document to the RCMP warning of a possible attack days prior to the bombing. Bob Rae later admitted that he never bothered to interview Bartleman, the former head of intelligence for Foreign Affairs Canada while investigating the Air India bombing.

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 representative (27th since confederation, 41st since the establishment of the post in 1792).

As is traditional to a vice-regal appointment, Bartleman has used his position to spearhead three initiatives that he personally identifies with and considers important. During his mandate as Lieutenant Governor he sought to:

1. Reduce the stigma of mental illness
2. Fight racism and discrimination
3. 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. 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, and set-up summer camps for literacy development in five northern First Nations communities.

Writing

Bartleman published several works of non-fiction, 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.

Orders and awards

Honorary degrees

Bartleman has been awarded many honorary degrees for his service, including the following:

Honorific eponyms