Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.10.2016, Qupperneq 1

LÖGBERG
HEIMSKRINGLA
The Icelandic Community Newspaper • 15 October 2016 • Number 20 / Númer 20 • 15. október 2016
Publication Mail Agreement No. 40012014 ISSN: 0047-4967
VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.LH-INC.CA
The mists and myths of
Snæfellsjökull / page 5
The Beck
Lecture
A family adventure in Iceland
/ page 6 and 7
Cousins galore!
Alþingi election set for
October 29 / page 3
Iceland goes to
the polls
PHOTO COURTESY OF W.D. VALGARDSON
PHOTO: STEFAN JONASSON
PHOTO COURTESY OF GUDRUN GAIL HELGASON
Senator Janis Johnson retired from the Senate of Canada in September
after 26 years of devoted
service to her country.
She was appointed to the
Senate by Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney in 1990,
representing the province of
Manitoba. In Canada, senators
are appointed by the Governor
General on the advice of the
prime minister of the day and
they may serve until the age
of 75. Senator Johnson was
eligible to serve until April
2021, so her retirement caught
many observers by surprise.
Prior to being named to the
Senate, she pursued a career
as a public affairs consultant,
university administrator,
and political organizer. In
September 1983, she became
the first woman to serve as
the National Director of the
Progressive Conservative
Party of Canada.
“During over a quarter of
a century, Senator Johnson
has made an indelible
contribution in the Senate
in the areas of international
relations, women’s rights,
the environment, advocacy
for persons with disabilities,
Indigenous Canadians, and
the arts. She brought verve
and class to the Senate,” said
Senator Claude Carignan,
the Leader of the Opposition
in the Senate. “She is – and
with distinction – the longest-
serving Conservative member
of the Upper Chamber.”
As a senator, Janis Johnson
had a critical role in defeating
Bill C-43 in 1991 – the last
attempt of the Government
of Canada to introduce
legislation to restrict abortion
rights to women in the country.
In 2007, her love of the arts
had her advocating for Bill
C-59, which would deter
unauthorized video recording
activities in movie theatres
in Canada and ensure police
could respond quickly to the
recording of films. In 2013,
she opened second reading to
Bill S-14, which would bolster
Canada’s ability to take action
against Canadian individuals
and corporations that engaged
in bribing foreign civil servants
to secure business contracts.
This is just some of the vital
legislation she had a hand in
enacting.
“From intense debates,
to studying legislation and
working on vital committee
reports, Senator Johnson has
stood out in the Senate for
her principles, confidence,
determination, and diligence,”
said Senator Carignan.
Janis Gudrun Johnson is
the oldest of six children born
to the late Dr. George Johnson
and Doris Marjorie Blondal.
Her father, a medical doctor,
served as the Member of the
Legislative Assembly for
Gimli from 1958 to 1969 and
he was a senior cabinet minister
in the governments of Dufferin
Roblin and Walter Weir. In
1986, he was appointed as
the 20th Lieutenant Governor
of Manitoba, serving until his
retirement from public life in
1993.
A graduate of the
University of Manitoba, Janis
Johnson enjoyed a varied
career before establishing her
own consulting firm, Janis
Johnson and Associates, in
1985. She has received many
public honours during her
distinguished career, including
Iceland’s Order of the Falcon,
the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee
Medals, the Canada 125
Medal, the Special Olympics
Award for Volunteerism,
and the Outstanding Alumni
Award from the University of
Manitoba.
Statement by the Honourable Janis
G. Johnson, Senator for Manitoba:
Effective September
27, 2016, upon the 26th
anniversary of my appointment
to the Upper Chamber, I shall
resign my seat in the Senate of
Canada.
I am returning to private
life where I will continue to
work on issues relating to arts
and culture, the environment
and women’s issues in Canada
and globally – matters that
have informed my entire
career. I also look forward to
more time with my family and
friends.
I am indebted to former
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
for appointing me in 1990 as
a Progressive Conservative
senator for the province of
Manitoba. Working with
him was the highlight of my
political career and I am most
grateful for the confidence
he showed in me and for the
courage he demonstrated in a
very different era by appointing
more women to the Senate.
... continued on page 2
PHOTO CREDIT: UTANRÍKISRÁÐUNEYTIÐ / ICELANDIC MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Ambassador Hjálmar W. Hannesson and Anna Birgis
were honoured at a reception for retiring employees of
the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs that was held in
Reykjavík on September 28, 2016. The retirees’ combined
service amounted to 108 years. Pictured here (from left
to right) are: Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir, retired department
head; Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson, Permanent Secretary
of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Hjálmar and
Anna; and Bjarni Sigtryggsson, retired counsellor.
Janis Johnson retires from the Senate of Canada
PHOTO COURTESY OF JANISJOHNSON.CA
Janis Johnson with former Senate Speaker Noël Kinsella
FALL CULTURAL ISSUE
INSIDE