Term of Office: 4 August 2009 – 19 June 2015
Born: Hong Kong, May 5, 1944
On August 4, 2009, the Honourable Philip Siu Lun Lee, C.M., O.M. was installed as Manitoba’s 24th Lieutenant Governor.
Mr. Lee has a distinguished record of leadership within Winnipeg’s Chinese-Canadian community. For more than three decades he has served as an advocate for the concerns of Manitobans of Chinese heritage, while also serving as a bridge-builder between Winnipeg’s Chinese-Canadian community and the wider community at large.
Born in Hong Kong in 1944, Mr. Lee came to Canada in 1962 to further his education at the University of Manitoba.
In 1967 Mr. Lee began his career with the City of Winnipeg as a research chemist. Between 1967 and 1972 he worked in the area of water research, dealing with water supply and water quality studies for the Metropolitan of Great Winnipeg which later on became the City of Winnipeg. He produced several research reports pertaining to the Shoal Lake Quality Studies. He retired from the City of Winnipeg in 2005 as the Branch Head Chemist in charge of Winnipeg’s Industrial Waste Control Program.
Mr. Lee became active in Winnipeg’s Chinese-Canadian community during the 1970’s. He played a key role in organizing the Chinese-Canadian community to participate in the first Folklorama during the Centennial Year of the Province (1970) and later became Vice President of the Folk Arts Council of Winnipeg Inc.
Between 1977 and 1981, Mr. Lee was appointed a member of the Human Rights Council of Manitoba and later became chairperson of the policy review committee for Human Rights, Manitoba. He served as a member of the City of Winnipeg’s Refugee Assistance Committee. He was also a driving force behind the construction of the Dynasty Building, the Chinese Gate and Garden, and the Mandarin Building, all of which remain important centres within the Chinese-Canadian community and important landmark destinations for visitors to Manitoba.
Mr. Lee’s leadership has been recognized through the City of Winnipeg Community Service Award (1984). He also served on the Multiculturalism Council of Canada between 1984 and 1988. He received the Recognition of Service Award from the Community and Race Relations Committee, City of Winnipeg (1990). Mr. Lee received the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 1993.
In addition to being an Executive Board Member of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre, he was also a member of the Chinese Development Corporation and the 1995 Manitoba’s 125th. Between 1995 and 1999, he was a board member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and a board member of the Alumni Association of the University of Manitoba.
Mr. Lee was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1999. In 2002, he was the recipient of The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. He became a member and the Chancellor of the Order of Manitoba on August 4, 2009. In June, 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by the University of Manitoba.
He and his wife Anita married in 1968 and have three daughters: Margaret, Mabel and Malinda and two grandchildren.
During his term in office, Mr. Lee’s mandate is to use the visibility of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to help those with visual impairment. He also wishes to bring attention to the need to ensure that the youth of all areas of Manitoba receive equal opportunities enabling them to become equal partners in our society.