Whit Fraser
56th viceregal consort of Canada
His Excellency Whit Fraser CC | |
|---|---|
 Fraser in 2022 | |
| 56th Viceregal consort of Canada | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed role July 26, 2021 | |
| Governor General | Mary Simon |
| Preceded by | Sharon Johnston (2017) |
| Chair of the Canadian Polar Commission | |
| In office 1991–1999 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Whit Grant Fraser (1942-11-26) November 26, 1942 (age 81) Merigomish, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Spouse | Mary Simon (m. 1994) |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation |
|
Whit Grant Fraser CC (born November 26, 1942)[1] is a Canadian journalist, broadcaster, and author who, by virtue of his marriage to Mary Simon, is the 56th and current viceregal consort of Canada.[2]
Biography
Born in Merigomish, Nova Scotia, and educated in Stellarton, Fraser began his career in journalism as a reporter for CKEC-FM in New Glasgow.[3]
He joined CBC News in 1967 as a reporter in Frobisher Bay and later in Yellowknife. His coverage of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry in the late 1970s expanded his national prominence, following which he worked for a number of years as a national reporter based in Ottawa and Edmonton.[4] In 1989 he was one of the final contenders to replace Peter Downie as host of the network's noon-hour newscast Midday, but was not selected;[5] instead, he became host of This Country, a six-hour nightly program on the CBC's new all-news channel CBC Newsworld which covered regional news from across the country.[6]
He left the CBC in 1991 when he was appointed by the federal government as chair of the Canadian Polar Commission, a new federal government agency devoted to territorial and Arctic issues.[7] He briefly returned to television with the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation in 1999 as cohost with Jonah Kelly of the special broadcast covering the formal creation of Nunavut.[8] He subsequently served as chief operating officer of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami in the 2000s.[9]
In 2018, he published True North Rising, a memoir of his work in Arctic communities.[8]
In 2021, he was appointed an ex-officio Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada by Queen Elizabeth II – a customary appointment for all modern viceregal consorts – and gained the temporary courtesy style of Excellency upon his wife's assumption of office as governor general. He currently resides at Rideau Hall, the seat of the Canadian Crown.
In 2022, he published his second book, Cold Edge of Heaven, a historical fiction novel set in Dundas Harbour and based on some actual events.
References
- ^ Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (October 8, 2021). "His Excellency Whit Grant Fraser, C.C." The Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Catharine Tunney and John Paul Tasker, "Inuk leader Mary Simon named Canada's 1st Indigenous governor-general" Archived July 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. CBC News, July 6, 2021.
- ^ Adam MacInnis, "'So many similarities': Pictou County man shares unique perspective of Canada’s north in new book" Archived July 9, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. SaltWire Network, October 17, 2018.
- ^ Tony Atherton, "Whit Fraser to host 6-hour CBC newscast". Ottawa Citizen, May 24, 1989.
- ^ "Prime Timer headed for the Baby Journal". Toronto Star, April 2, 1989.
- ^ "Whit Fraser to host TV show". Vancouver Sun, May 24, 1989.
- ^ "Former CBC journalist to chair polar panel". Edmonton Journal, September 17, 1991.
- ^ a b Jim Bell, "Whit Fraser’s big-hearted memoir looks back on 50 years of service" Archived July 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Nunatsiaq News, January 9, 2019.
- ^ Sutton Eaves, "Inuit group angry at $5m budget cut". National Post, February 26, 2005.
External links
- Official website
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Viceregal Consort of Canada 2021–present | Incumbent |
