The Honourable Pamela D Wallin, Senator of the Senate, was appointed as Honorary Colonel of the Air Force in August 2009 to serve in the capacity as Honorary Colonel for the Air Staff located at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.
Honorary Colonel Wallin is a well-known public figure with exemplary careers in a number of areas. Born in Moose Jaw, SK, and educated at the University of Saskatchewan, she became a noted journalist and television personality, first with CBC and then CTV. The senator hosted Canada AM, became the Ottawa bureau chief and became the first female co-host of Prime Time News. As an entrepreneur, she founded an independent television company through which she hosted and produced live interview programs.
As a diplomat, Honorary Colonel Wallin served as Consul General of Canada in New York from 2002 – 06, a critical period of Canada-US relations following 9/11. Subsequently, she served as a member of the Manley Panel to investigate Canada’s future role in Afghanistan. She was appointed to the Senate in December 2008 and sits on a number of prestigious committees, most notably, the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee and as Deputy Chair of the Defence & National Security Committee.
Honorary Colonel Wallin became Chancellor of the University of Guelph in 2007, serves on a number of corporate boards, holds 14 honorary degrees and is the recipient of a host of distinguished honours and awards. She holds an impressive list of awards including the Order of Canada as an Officer and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.
Honorary Colonel Wallin has strong family ties to the Air Force with several members of her family, especially her father as a bomber tail-gunner, having served in the Air Force during WWII.
