James Bartleman
James Bartleman grew up in the Muskoka town of Port Carling and is a member of the Mnjikaning First Nation. He had a distinguished career of more than 35 years in the Canadian Foreign Service before his installation as lieutenant-governor of Ontario (2002-2007). Upon his installation as lieutenant-governor of Ontario, James Bartleman became chancellor and a Member of the Order of Ontario. He received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for public service in 1999. He is the 27th lieutenant-governor of Ontario and was sworn in on 7 March 2002. He has been committed to reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, and as part of this effort, is an honorary patron of the Institute of Mental Health Research in Ottawa. Another priority for him has been promoting literacy among First Nations children, which resulted in his establishment of the Lieutenant-Governor’s Book Program, in which more than 1 million used books were collected and donated to First Nations schools. In 2005, to further promote literacy and bridge building, he initiated a program to pair up Native and non-Native schools in Ontario and Nunavut, and set-up the Frontiers College summer camps for literacy development in five northern First Nations communities. He is the author of six books, the most recent of which is The Redemption of Oscar Wolf.