Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Clarkson became Canada’s twenty-sixth Governor General in 1999 and served until September 2005. She is the bestselling author of Heart Matters: A Memoir, Room For All Of Us: Surprising Stories of Loss and Transformation, and Great Canadian Lives: Norman Bethune. In her multi-faceted career as an accomplished broadcaster and distinguished public servant, she has received numerous prestigious awards and honorary degrees in Canada and abroad. In 2005, she co-founded the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. In 2006, she established the Clarkson Cup, which is now the championship trophy for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. In 2007, she was appointed Colonel-in-Chief for Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. A Privy Councillor and Companion of the Order of Canada, she lives in Toronto.


Room for All of Us

Room for All of Us

One thing I have noticed in my career is every person in front of the camera wants to do their best. Let’s face it, who doesn’t – we all do, whether we are Prince Charles or Christopher Plummer, or even myself – I like to look good on camera too. I feel that most people whoever they are, the so-called people “up there” presidents or monarchy or whatever, want to be loved, they all want to look good at whatever they do, and they do not want to feel threatened by anything negative. That’s basic human nature. So if you can strip people down so they do not feel threatened by you, you can connect with them on a human level. Even more important is that they think you are really curious about what they think. These elements boil down to honesty, sincerity, and curiousity.

One thing I have noticed in my career is every person in front of the camera wants to do their best. Let’s face it, who doesn’t – we all do, whether we are Prince Charles or Christopher Plummer, or even myself – I like to look good on camera too. I feel that most people whoever they are, the so-called people “up there” presidents or monarchy or whatever, want to be loved, they all want to look good at whatever they do, and they do not want to feel threatened by anything negative. That’s basic human nature. So if you can strip people down so they do not feel threatened by you, you can connect with them on a human level. Even more important is that they think you are really curious about what they think. These elements boil down to honesty, sincerity, and curiousity.

Art at Work/L'Art au Travail
introduction by Adrienne Clarkson