Yesterday marked a significant milestone in BC political history with the inauguration of its 31st lieutenant-governor, the Honourable Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia. 

The ceremony, held at the BC legislature, opened to the peal of Fanfare No.1 and God Save the King, played by trumpeters from the Royal Canadian Navy’s Naden Band.

Following a traditional welcome by Counc. Norman Gary Sam and the Songhees Nation dancers, Lisogar-Cocchia officially took the oath of office in the presence of Premier David Eby, Chief Justice Leonard Marchand, the interim speaker of the legislature, sitting MLAs, dignitaries, friends, and other members of the community at large, including Union of BC Municipalities President Trish Mandewo.

Lisogar-Cocchia, who succeeded the Honourable Janet Austin, is known for her background in business and community leadership and a considerable understanding of the challenges facing British Columbians today.

Comments made by various speakers throughout the ceremony reflected a career marked by outstanding entrepreneurial success, philanthropy, and advocacy for social inclusion. Lisogar-Cocchia is an influential powerhouse in both the business, hospitality, and not-for-profit communities.

As the province's representative of the Crown, Lisogar-Cocchia’s appointment carries with it the weight of tradition and the potential for a fresh perspective on how her role might evolve in this, more modern age. The LG serves as the King’s representative in British Columbia and performs ceremonial duties as well as providing official oversight, including granting royal assent to provincial laws, into the provincial government’s functioning.

More about the new L-G

Lisogar-Cocchia’s is the founder independent spa chain Absolute Spa Group. In 2014, she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women as part of the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Awards. In 2018, she was feted with an honorary doctorate from Vancouver Island University.

She is also a champion for disability rights and services, particularly for individuals living with neurodiversity. She is the co-founder of the Pacific Autism Family Network (PAFN), an organization that provides services, research, and support to families affected by autism spectrum disorder across all stages of their lives.

She has also been a driving force of tourism advocacy in the province as the founding director of Destination BC. Her efforts have directly impacted and benefited the tourism industry here in Victoria.

Lisogar-Cocchia has also received numerous prestigious accolades, including the British Columbia Community Achievement Award, and the Order of British Columbia. She was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal (other recipients include former premiers John Horgan and Christy Clark), and was appointed, last year, to the Order of Canada, in recognition of her lifelong dedication to service and leadership.

During the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Niki Sharma presented the new LG with the Seal of British Columbia. The seal signifies the authority of the Crown. It is stamped, printed, or engraved upon provincial government documents, certificates, and proclamations issued by the three branches of government to authenticate them and make them official.  

In a moment of levity, when Eby was asked to share his congratulations, he rose and moved towards the podium only to be directed to deliver his speech from “his place” to which he responded, “I guess we know who the real head of state is.”

In his address, Eby spoke to the challenges of taking on a role first established in 1867 under the British North America Act in these modern times. He spoke to his hopes for the aims of the office which he described as “elevating the consistency of government above the fray of politics but also bringing voices together that aren’t often in the same room to reach mutual understanding or at least in conversation, and to represent the state in a way that is non-partisan and welcoming to everyone in the province.”

A celebration of service

Federal Liberal MP Johnathan Wilkinson (North Vancouver) acknowledged Lisogar-Cocchia’s career achievements, highlighting her work with the Pacific Autism Family Network (PAFN), an organization she founded with her husband Sergio Cocchia. It provides services, research, and support to families affected by autism spectrum disorder across all stages of their lives.

Wilkinson commended Lisogar-Cocchia’s election as the fifth and youngest-ever chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade in 2011 and her appointment as the first female trustee of the Vancouver Police Foundation.

In her speech, Lisogar-Cocchia thanked all those gathered and said she held the Crown’s “unique” relationship with the 203 First Nations in BC sacred. She acknowledged her 15-year friendship with her predecessor  Janet Austin and commended her mentorship and the former lieutenant-governor’s work on reconciliation. She spoke about the ways her work as LG will be inspired by the three core values that drive her; “the power of compassion, the call to service, and the perseverance to create a better world” which she says she inherited from her family.

Lisogar-Cocchia said we are living in a time of great economic and political uncertainty and she spoke about the importance of empathy and the need to walk a mile in another’s shoes—"putting ourselves in another’s place to feel their journey.” She promised she would be intently listening to others “with all of her heart.”

A Vision for the Future

In her parting words about what she sees on the horizon, Lisogar-Cocchia said: “As I look toward the future, I see a BC where empathy is not just encouraged but expected, where service is not just acknowledged, but celebrated and meaningful inclusion is not just an idea, but a reality.”

The ceremony closed with a trio playing Leonard Cohen’s haunting “Hallelujah.”