Iona Campagnolo

Her Honour the Honourable Iona Campagnolo, PC, CM, OBC (born October 18, 1932) is a Canadian politician, currently the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Born on Galiano Island, she got her start in politics in 1966 she was elected an alderwoman in the city council of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In 1973 she turned to federal politics, and ran as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada for a seat in parliament. She won, and in 1976 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed her to Cabinet, as Minister of Amateur Sports. She lost her seat in the 1979 Canadian election that also defeated the Trudeau government.

In 1982 she became president of the Liberal Party of Canada, a largely administrative position. When John Turner became Liberal leader in 1984, a minor scandal erupted when a television camera filmed Turner patting Campagnolo's rear at the convention podium.

Campagnolo ran for Parliament in the September 1984 election but was defeated in the Mulroney landslide that reduced Turner's Liberals to only 40 seats. She did not run for re-election as party president at the next Liberal convention in 1986.

In 1973 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 1998 she received the Order of British Columbia.

In 2001 Her Excellency the Govenor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson appointed her as British Columbia's first female lieutenant governor.