Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the appointment of Joan Marie Aylward as the new Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Aylward is a career nurse who served as a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for seven years, during which time she held several ministerial portfolios and worked on issues ranging from public health to employment. Most recently, Ms. Aylward was Vice-Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.

The Prime Minister thanked the outgoing Lieutenant Governor, Judy Foote, for her service to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and to Canada, as the first female Lieutenant Governor for the province.