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4 unusual facts about Governor General's Awards


Martine Leavitt

Leavitt's books have won many awards, including winner of the 2003 Mr. Christie Award for Tom Finder, finalist for the 2006 National Book Award for Keturah and Lord Death, finalist for the 2004 Governor General's Awards for Heck Superhero, and winner of the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award for My Book of Life by Angel in 2013.

Newcastle, New Brunswick

He has been recognised via many awards, including two Governor General's Awards.

Slavery in Canada

Winner, 2007 Governor General's Literary Award for Nonfiction; Nominee (Nonfiction), National Books Critics Circle Award 2007.

Vincent Lam

His first novel, The Headmaster's Wager, was published in 2012 by Doubleday Canada and has been shortlisted for the 2012 Governor General's Literary Award.


1985 Governor General's Awards

Michael D. Behiels, Prelude to Quebec's Quiet Revolution: Liberalism versus Neo-nationalism

1992 Governor General's Awards

Gilles Boileau, Le silence des Messieurs. Oka, terre indienne

1997 Governor General's Awards

Blair Stonechild and Bill Waiser, Loyal till Death – Indians and the North-West Rebellion

2007 Governor General's Awards

Anosh Irani, The Bombay Plays: The Matka King and Bombay Black

2010 Earthquake in Jacmel

Canadian Governor General Michaëlle Jean's parents were born in Jacmel, which she visited frequently as a child.

2011 Governor General's Awards

Richard Gwyn, Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times, Volume Two: 1867-1891

Alden Nowlan

Nowlan's most notable literary achievements include the Governor General's Award for Bread, Wine and Salt (1967) and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Argyle Downs

The Governor General, Lord Gowrie, was a guest of the Duracks at the Station in 1939 during his farewell tour.

Augustine Geve

The three men were convicted for the crime and several other murders in March 2005 by High Court judge (and future Governor General) Frank Kabui, who sentenced them to life in gaol.

Bill Waiser

Bill has published several books, including Park Prisoners: The Untold Story of Western Canada's National Parks and (with Blair Stonechild) Loyal till Death: Indians and the North-West Rebellion, which was a finalist for the 1997 Governor General's Literary Awards for non-fiction.

Carol Windley

Born in Tofino, British Columbia and raised in British Columbia and Alberta, Windley's debut short story collection, Visible Light (1993) won the 1993 Bumbershoot Award, and was nominated for the 1993 Governor General's Award for English Fiction and the 1994 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize.

Carousel Theatre

Carousel also mounted an original production of Pierre Berton's fable The Secret World of Og, adapted under commission by Governor General's Award-winning playwright Kevin Kerr.

Charles Avery Dunning

King went to Governor General Lord Byng of Vimy asking Byng to dissolve Parliament and call a general election.

David Yee

His play lady in the red dress was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English language drama at the 2010 Governor General's Awards.

Egerton Ryerson

Governor General Sir Charles Metcalfe asked him to become Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada in 1844.

Employment and Social Insurance Act

On November 5, 1935 the Governor General in Council made a matter of reference regarding the constitutionality of the several Acts, two of which dated from 1934, and the cases were then brought to the SCC.

Ethel Cochrane

An advocate for education and literacy, she was appointed to the Senate by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, in November 1986.

Gandara, Samar

After settling in its new location, the name Gandara was given to it in commemoration of the former Governor General José de la Gándara y Navarro.

Golf Canada

The Royal prefix was granted to the CGA in June 1896 by Queen Victoria through then Governor General of Canada, Lord Aberdeen.

Goose Lane Editions

Authors published by Goose Lane include Alden Nowlan, Nancy Bauer, Herb Curtis, Reg Balch, Lynn Coady, Alan Cumyn, Sheree Fitch, Douglas Glover whose novel Elle won the 2003 Governor General's Award for English-language fiction, and Riel Nason whose novel The Town That Drowned won the 2012 Commonwealth Book Prize (Canada and Europe).

Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction

1992: Maggie Siggins, Revenge of the Land: A Century of Greed, Tragedy and Murder on a Saskatchewan Farm

2005: John Vaillant, The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed

Governor General's Bodyguard

In 1893, William Riddell Birdwood (later World War I General and 1st Baron Birdwood) became the Master Adjutant of the regiment, seeing service in a number of North-West Frontier expeditions, with his home (regimental) base in Dehradun.

Grand Narrows Bridge

At midnight on October 18, 1890 the five-car special train of Governor General Lord Stanley left Halifax, and arrived at Mulgrave in the early morning.

Hartal 1953

The Governor General at the time Lord Soulbury arbitrated in favour of his son.

Jacob Schulz

Jacob (Jake) Shulz (October 12, 1901 - August 14, 1983) was a Canadian farmer and politician as well as the father-in-law of Governor General Ed Schreyer.

Josephine Phelan

Josephine Phelan (1905-1979), Canadian writer and librarian, won the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction in 1951 for The Ardent Exile, a biography of Thomas D'Arcy McGee.

Kiwanis Music Festival

Its origin probably traces as far back as an inaugural 1908 festival in Edmonton, where Governor General Earl Grey advocated the establishment of music festivals throughout Canada's provinces.

Liam Tobin

Tobin was placed on the Army Council and was Director of Intelligence from September 1922 until his appointment as Senior Aide-de-Camp to the new Governor General, Tim Healy in November 1922.

London Motors

When Governor General Julian Byng visited London, several London Six owners loaned their cars for official ceremonies.

Martin Springett

In 1992, Springett was awarded a 1992 Prix Aurora Award for Artistic Achievement, and two years later was presented a Governor General's Award for his illustration of the book Who.

Minto, New Brunswick

Minto was originally named Northfield but it is known to have taken its present name in 1904 upon the retirement of Canada's eighth Governor General, The Earl of Minto.

Mohammad Ibrahim Khan Jhagra

He become Governor upon the request of then Governor General Khwaja Nazimuddin; taking charge to make sure the Objective Resolution be implemented successfully in the province and to settle the Pashtunistan revolts instigated by Bacha Khan and his Khudai Khidmathgar movement.

Open Secrets

It was nominated for the 1994 Governor General's Award for English Fiction.

Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War

It has won the £5,000 Duff Cooper Prize for an outstanding literary work in the field of history, biography or politics, the £3,000 Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History, the prestigious BBC Samuel Johnson for the best work of non-fiction published in the United Kingdom and the 2003 Governor General's Literary Award in Canada.

Public duties

The Governor General's Foot Guards, a Canadian Primary Reserve Unit, have often been called upon to perform additional public duties in Ottawa since their inception in 1872.

Purnaiah

A stone-bridge, dedicated to Marquess of Wellesley, the Governor General was constructed across river Kaveri connecting Srirangapattana with Kirangur.

Red Deer Press

Red Deer books have won several awards over the years, including the 2009 Governor General's Award for Children's literature (text) for Caroline Pignat's Greener Grass: The Famine Years.

Red River Rebellion

In Ottawa, the Governor General Lord Lisgar had, at Macdonald's behest, proclaimed an amnesty on December 6 for all in Red River who would lay down their arms.

Robert Majzels

Governor General's Award for French to English translation for Just Fine, from the French Pas Pire, by France Daigle (2000).

Roy Romanow

On April 4, 2001, Romanow was appointed to head the Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, on the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

Sir Sandford Fleming Park

It was formally dedicated in an impressive ceremony in August 1912 by Canada's Governor General the Duke of Connaught who was also Queen Victoria's son Prince Arthur.

Stephen Scobie

Scobie is a founding editor of Longspoon Press, an elected member of the Royal Society of Canada, and the recipient of the 1980 Governor General's Award for McAlmon's Chinese Opera (1980) and the 1986 Prix Gabrielle Roy for Canadian Criticism.

The Governor General's Body Guard

The GGBG supplied soldiers for the 3rd Bn, 2nd Bn, 4th CMR, 216th Bn, 124th Bn to name a few.

The Law of Dreams

Published in 2006 by House of Anansi Press, it was the recipient of that year's Governor General's Award for English language fiction.

The Moons of Jupiter

It was nominated for the 1982 Governor General's Award for English Fiction.

William Fontaine

The next year, he traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, where he celebrated the inauguration of his classmate, Nnamdi Azikiwe as Governor General.


see also