OTTAWA, ON, April 12, 2022 /CNW/ - The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) is honoured to announce that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, has accepted to become Patron of the Society. In so doing, Her Excellency maintains a tradition of vice regal patronage that extends back to 1929 with the Society's founding Patron The Rt. Hon. Viscount Willingdon.
In 1998, the RCGS presented Simon with its Gold Medal, and conferred an Honorary Fellowship upon her to recognize her accomplishments as an Inuit leader and as a Canadian diplomat. By extending her Patronage, Her Excellency has in turn now honoured the Society.
"Mary Simon's historic appointment as Governor General will bring unique knowledge and guidance to Canada, and her Patronage of RCGS will do the same for the Society," said John Geiger, CEO of RCGS and President of Canadian Geographic. "This is a great moment. At the dawn of the United Nations Decade of Indigenous Languages, we are blessed to have Her Excellency, together with RCGS Honorary President Chief Perry Bellegarde, to guide us as we venture ever deeper into our journey of truth seeking and reconciliation."
"I am pleased to welcome Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon as Patron of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society," said Chief Perry Bellegarde. "Reconciliation can mean transforming long standing institutions in Canada. That means having First Nations, Inuit and Metis people in leadership roles where we can engage Canadians in our traditional worldviews. Her Excellency brings such knowledge of lands and the Inuit language which the Royal Canadian Geographical Society welcomes wholeheartedly."
Gavin Fitch, Chair of the Board of the RCGS, spoke of the organization's excitement over the granting of Patronage: "Mary Simon is a great Canadian, she is someone who has demonstrated a lifetime of service to the country, we are deeply honoured and grateful for this news."
Publisher of Canadian Geographic, the RCGS is dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada — its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic opportunities. The Society is one of Canada's largest non-profit educational organizations, comprising more than 25,000 members from across the country. The RCGS is funded primarily by membership fees and donations. The Society's board of governors and its program committees are composed entirely of volunteers.
Social Media Links: @RCGS_SGRC @CanGeo
SOURCE Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Media Information: Keegan Hoban, Communications Coordinator, The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, [email protected] or (877)786-2376 ext. 138
Share this article