Saskatchewan’s 22nd lieutenant-governor has passed away following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
W. Thomas Molloy was 78 when he died on July 2. His cancer treatment was made public in May.
“Krista and I are saddened by the news of the passing of our lieutenant governor. On behalf of the government of Saskatchewan and people of our province, I offer my sincere condolences to Mr. Molloy’s family, and to the many that called him a friend,” Premier Scott Moe said in a press release.
“His honour had a lasting impact on our province and nation in his five decades of dedicated service. His many contributions to the betterment of our country leaves a tremendous legacy that I hope provides his family with some comfort in this time of grief.”
Molloy was born and raised in Saskatoon and completed his law degree at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S).
During his legal career, he negotiated numerous agreements and treaty settlements that have changed the face of the country, according to the lieutenant-governor’s office.
He is renowned for his treaty-making and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples of Canada, which led to his investiture as an officer of the Order of Canada in 1996, and as a member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2012.
His also wrote the award-winning book The World Is Our Witness: The Historic Journey of The Nisga’a Into Canada, which was published in 2000.
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Since his formal installation as lieutenant-governor on March 21, 2018, he took part in hundreds of events, earning the admiration and affection of people across the province, a statement from the Saskatchewan government read.
In acknowledgement of his professional achievements and outstanding community service, Molloy was also awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from the U of S in 2009, and received the 2018 Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law from the Canadian Bar Association.
Books of condolence will be available in the main lobby of the legislative building in Regina, and at Saskatoon city hall, starting on July 3. Online condolences can be sent through the lieutenant-governor’s office.
Funeral plans have yet to be announced.
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