About the Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario

The Honourable James K. Bartleman

About the Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario:

Hon. James K. Bartleman- Mnjikaning First Nation The son of a Scottish father and an Aboriginal mother, James Bartleman was born in 1939 in Orillia, Ontario. A member of the Mnjikaning First Nation, he grew up in an abandoned shack in the Muskoka town of Port Carling. The support of a wealthy American benefactor changed his life, enabling him to get an education. In 1963 he earned a B.A. with honours in history from the University of Western Ontario. After travelling in Europe, he joined the Canadian Foreign Service.

In 1972, Mr. Bartleman opened Canada's first diplomatic mission to the newly independent People's Republic of Bangladesh. He went on to serve in progressively more senior posts, including High Commissioner to Cyprus, Australia and South Africa, as well as Ambassador to Israel, Cuba, the North Atlantic Council of NATO and the European Union.

Mr. Bartleman's story is the story of a man who had a highly successful diplomatic career, was posted around the world and met some of the most charismatic leaders of our time. His story is also the journey of a person of mixed heritage who overcame poverty and racial discrimination to reach the highest levels of public service.

Here in Canada, from 1994 to 1998 James Bartleman served as Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Foreign and Defence Policy. In 2002 he was named Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

James Bartleman's book, his memoirs, titled "Out of Muskoka" tells his story. It includes an afterword by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gatan Lavertu. Proceeds from its sale benefit the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, a charity that has provided over $14 million in scholarships to young Aboriginal students.

Information on his book:

James Bartleman, Out of Muskoka.

Manotick, Ontario: Penumbra Press,

October 2002. 144 pages.

ISBN 1894131312. Hardcover, $29.95.

The Lieutenant Governor's Literacy Initiatives

December, 2005

To open new opportunities for aboriginal youth, the Hon. James K. Bartleman has launched four innovative programs that promote literacy, drawing upon widespread support from individuals and organizations throughout the province of Ontario, Canada's most populous province.

When the Hon. James K. Bartleman began visiting First Nations in Northern Ontario in 2002, he noticed that the schools had many bookshelves, but few books. At the start of 2004 he launched a province-wide appeal for donations of good used books to send to these northern schools.

Priority was given to 33 fly-in communities in the Far North, served only by winter roads. Ontario Provincial Police detachments across Ontario served as depots for collecting books, and dedicated volunteers sorted and packed many thousands of books at OPP Headquarters in Orillia and at an aircraft hangar at Downsview in Toronto.

By the end of February, 1.2 million books had been donated by generous Ontarians. After sorting, 850,000 good quality books were provided to First Nations and Native Friendship Centres across Ontario. Shipments were made possible thanks to the OPP, Department of National Defence, the Canadian Rangers, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, the South Asian professional association EIPROC, Wasaya Airways, corporate donors, trucking companies and numerous volunteers. A resounding success, the Book Program ended in 2004.

New Brunswick woman ruled responsible in burning of baby's body

ST. STEPHEN, N.B. - A New Brunswick judge says a woman who burned and dismembered her newborn son is criminally responsible for her actions.

Becky Sue Morrow earlier pleaded guilty to offering an indignity to a dead body and disposing of a newborn with the intent of concealing a delivery.

Judge David Walker ruled Friday that the 27-year-old woman may have been suffering from a mental disorder when she delivered the baby but that that was not the case when the baby's body was burned and its remains hidden.

It is not known if the baby was alive at the time of birth.

At a hearing last month, the court heard contrasting reports from the two psychiatrists. One said Ms. Morrow was in a "disassociated" mental state when the crime occurred. The other said she clearly planned her actions and understood the consequences.