Judith Guichon

Background

Guichon was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1947, and raised on a farm near Hawkesbury, Ontario.

Career

Her appointment as Lieutenant Governor was made by Governor General of Canada David Lloyd Johnston on the Constitutional advice of Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, on October 1, 2012, to succeed Steven Point. Guichon was sworn in on November 2, 2012 at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. She is the viceregal representative of Queen Elizabeth II of Canada in the Province of British Columbia.

Prior to Guichon"s appointment as Lieutenant Governor, she owned and operated Gerard Guichon Ranch Limited in the Nicola Valley in the British Columbia Interior.

Her four children now manage the ranch with a 700 head cow calf and 700 yearling operation. Guichon studied Holistic Management, a farming method which promotes sustainable management of livestock by emphasizing their natural habitat.

In addition to her ranching initiatives, Guichon is also involved in several organizations. She previously served on the local hospital board and Community Health Council, and is now on the Community Health Foundation Board.

Prior to this, she has served as a 4-H Leader and started a recycling society in Merritt, British Columbia with a neighbour.

Prior to her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, Guichon served on the Provincial Task Force on Species at Risk and has just completed her two-year term as the president of the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association. She has also been a part of the Ranching Task Force for British Columbia and the British Columbia Agri-Food Trade Advisory Council.

Achievements

• Order of British Columbia, 2012 (Also Chancellor of the Order during her term as Lieutenant Governor) Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012.

Membership

She has also served as a director for the Fraser Basin Council of British Columbia, director of the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia, member of the Nicola Water Use Management planning committee and played the flute in the Nicola Valley Community Band.