Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario
The Honourable James Karl 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, Mr. 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:
- 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, and 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, His Honour 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.
Read more about this topic: James Bartleman