Valerie G Barnes Connell Jordan, Daily Herald
A week and a half after leaving Regina, Russell and Donna Mirasty are home in La Ronge and working at settling back into the home they haven’t lived in for the last five-and-a-half years.
The Mirastys worked as a team to fulfill the role of Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan between 2019 and Jan. 31, 2025.
While Russell Mirasty is no longer the Lieutenant Governor, the title, The Honourable remains with him for life.
The Mirastys reminisced over the past few years that took them across Saskatchewan into communities, small and large, and even Buckingham Palace.
“We set out to do it together,” Russell Mirasty said in an interview. “For us, that was very important … and we did. It made it a lot easier, a lot better in terms of the public, because of Donna’s presence.”
There were many highlights over the five-and-half years, but one stands out as important as they began the journey.
“I always talk about the first event, the first official event, because that was when I realized, I’m actually doing this,” Mirasty remembered.
The event was the opening of the Western Canada Games in Swift Current. The attendees were young people from across the western provinces and the Territories.
“Sports have always had a big part of our lives in terms of either being, or supporting athletes and even our own children … we actually had northern athletes that walked by and made that connection,” Mirasty explained.
That was the beginning of their attendance at between 225 to 250 events per year.
Although in Mirastys years as an RCMP officer he became familiar with the diversity of the Saskatchewan landscape, he “never tired of it … we never tired of travelling to every corner of the province.”
Connecting to the people in the smaller communities was one of the highlights.
“It was a tremendous experience, just hearing about them, their accomplishments, their lives, their history, their goals, just really satisfying actually to be part of that.”
Mirasty spoke of the role of the Lieutenant Governor, which, he said, is divided into three areas, “all beginning with C.”
“The first is Constitutional and those are the have to. That’s why the Lieutenant Governor in our system of government exists in our system of government and performing duties within the system.”
“That I found interesting because you get to have a look into the inner workings of government and decision making, but remembering always that the Lieutenant Governor position is totally non-partisan (and) apolitical,” he said. “There’s a reason for that because, if there’s a constitutional kind of crisis or something happening within government, what the Lieutenant Governor has to be able to set into and work through that with whoever is there.”
Then there are also reading the Speech from the Throne, signing legislation, Orders in Council produced by the Cabinet of the day.
“It’s a really interesting aspect of the work.”
The other two aspects are Ceremonial. Mirasty described it as “things you’re invited to by an organization or community.” Some examples include: the presentation of awards and medals, “recognizing people for what they’ve done, how they’ve contributed to their communities.”
And the third is Celebratory, and that is attending events, such as community fairs and PowWows.
“We attended many PowWows, and just enjoying whatever was going on in the community … just the diverse kind of events that we were invited to and attended.”
The two main events were held at Government House: the New Year’s Levee on Jan. 1 and Canada Day on July 1.
Donna Mirasty credited their years with the RCMP as background for becoming more comfortable with much of the formality of the role, “the pomp and ceremony.”
She said it was of the utmost importance to both of them that people be comfortable with them, no matter what the event.
The Mirastys are Indigenous. He is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB), and, Donna Mirasty from Cumberland House. Although he didn’t set out with “preconceived ideas of what I wanted to accomplish,” he felt it was important “to come together and get to know each other better and develop those relationships that allow you to look forward to the future together.”
Going back to his days in the RCMP, Mirasty said, “I felt that relationships with people at the community level were really the answer to how that community would look into the future. How they dealt with different challenges that existed there.”
He used the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action as a guide.
Another highlight was being able to bring their culture “in particular our language” into the role, because the role is also “part of the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy is rooted in British Colonialism.”
“We have to find a way of feeling comfortable to step into those difficult places and have those difficult conversations and express our perspective, because if we don’t, who will?”
The Calls to Action include some specifically aimed at governments. Mirasty thought, “maybe this is an area I can be a bit of a catalyst,” to create a place on the grounds of Government House in Regina, to honour Residential Survivors and the dark history of the Residential School system.
At the time only the government of Newfoundland/Labrador had acted on it. After getting support from the provincial government, he consulted with Survivors, Elders and Knowledge Keepers and “asked their thoughts were, if it was even a good idea for me to be part of, they all gave me support.”
And area was developed on the grounds of Government House to honour Indigenous people, Residential School Survivors, and provide education and experience of the culture.
And another highlight, an audience with His Majesty King Charles III. Each Lieutenant Governor is given an audience with the reigning Monarch. COVID hit and the Mirastys’ audience with Queen Elizabeth II didn’t happen.
But on May 16, 2023, just ten days after King Charles III’s coronation, Russ and Donna Mirasty met privately with His Majesty in Buckingham Palace.
“It was just a wonderful meeting. He was very well-informed and very interested in Canada and Saskatchewan. Of course, he’s been over here a number of times, not only to the Province, but across Canada and he’s interested in Indigenous people for sure… he made us feel comfortable… there was just the three of us in the room … just a free conversation about all kinds of topics, the environment, the young people to Indigenous people, very interesting.”
And now, it’s coming back to the place they left and making it home again.
