Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, née Adrienne Poy (伍冰枝 in pinyin: Wu3 Bing1 zhi1; in Cantonese: Ng5 Bing1 zi1) (born 1939 in Hong Kong) is the current Governor-General of Canada (since 1999). She is the second woman to hold this position, after Jeanne Sauvé.
A Hakka raised in Ontario, Clarkson's ancestry is Taishan[?] (台山) [1] (http://www.taishan.com/english/index.htm), Guangdong, China. She came to Canada as a refugee with her family during the Second World War in 1942. She studied at the University of Toronto and the Sorbonne. Clarkson is the daughter of William Poy (伍英才 pinyin: Wu Yingcai) and Ethel Poy. She is also the sister-in-law of Vivienne Poy. Clarkson's brother Neville Poy (伍衛權 in pinyin: Wu1 Wei4-quan1; in Cantonese: Ng5 Wai6-kyun4) is Vivienne Poy's husband.
She is well-known from her work in broadcasting, having hosted and produced several shows for the CBC; these include Take Thirty, Adrienne at Large, the 5th estate, Adrienne Clarkson's Summer Festival, and Adrienne Clarkson Presents. She was the president and publisher of McClelland & Stewart from 1987 to 1988 and has written several books.
In 1999 she was appointed Governor General by Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and approved by Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's legal Head of State.
She is married to Canadian author and philosopher John Ralston Saul.
See also: Chinese Canadian
External links
- Adrienne Clarkson biography - Government of Canada (http://www.gg.ca/governor_general/biography_e.asp)
- The Story Behind the Surname Poy (http://www.asiawind.com/pub/forum/fhakka/mhonarc/msg02501.html)