Pamela Wallin makes history on television and in politics
Pamela Wallin, originally from the small Saskatchewan town of Wadena, has proven to be a tough and resilient character both in the field of journalism and in the political arena.
Born in 1953, Wallin attended the University of Regina. She joined CBC as a journalist in 1974, working on radio shows like As It Happens and Sunday Morning. She moved next to the Ottawa bureau of the Toronto Star before heading to CTV, where she was parliamentary bureau chief and host of Question Period. In 1990, she returned to CBC, where she co-anchored the evening newscast Prime Time News with Peter Mansbridge.
Former prime minister Jean Chretien appointed Wallin as Canada’s consul general in New York in 2002. After four years, she was named chancellor of the University of Guelph.
In 2009, a senate appointment came from former prime minister Stephen Harper. The Mounties opened a file on Wallin in 2013 after a critical audit of her spending ended with her repaying more than $150,000 for expense claims the Senate said were unjustified. She was suspended from the senate without pay. It took three years before the RCMP declared they wouldn’t charge her. Both Wallin’s parents died during this period.
A quote often attributed to Wallin takes on special significance in light of the expense scandal: “The only way to ensure that you and those you agree with have the right to speak is to support the right to speak of those you despise or do not like — the people with whom you do not agree.”
As we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, the StarPhoenix and Leader-Post are telling the stories of 150 Saskatchewan people who helped shape the nation. Send your suggestions or feedback to sask150@postmedia.com.