Her Excellency Sharon Johnston appointed Honorary Captain (Navy) for Military Personnel Command

National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Press Release

Her Excellency Sharon Johnston was appointed Honorary Captain (Navy) of Military Personnel Command of the Canadian Armed Forces today at an investiture ceremony at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.

Lieutenant-General Christine Whitecross, Commander Military Personnel Command, presented Mrs. Johnston with an official scroll signed by Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan.

The responsibilities of honorary appointments include fostering esprit de corps; developing, promoting and sustaining strong community support; establishing and maintaining liaison with unit charities and associations as well as with the commander and other persons with honorary appointments; participating in parades and official functions in which the Command takes part; and advising the commander.

“Her Excellency Sharon Johnston is a distinguished Canadian whose extensive volunteer involvement with medical and educational institutions demonstrates the values of an Honorary Captain (Navy), such as personal commitment and sense of duty. I couldn’t be happier welcoming her to our Command.” - Lieutenant-General Christine Whitecross, Commander Military Personnel Command

Early in her career, Her Excellency Sharon Johnston worked in the area of child psychiatry and obtained her doctorate degree in rehabilitation science, all while raising five daughters with her husband, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston. 

She has volunteered on many administrative boards, including that of the Collège de Marie de France, in Montréal, and Bishop’s College School, in Lennoxville, Québec. She was also a founding member of the Friends of the Neuro volunteer group at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital.

Mrs. Johnston is an avid horse-riding enthusiast. She ran a horse-training centre for 12 years out of Chatterbox Farm, in Ontario, which she shared with her husband.
Mrs. Johnston has also published her first novel, Matrons and Madams (2015), a fictional account of life in southwestern Alberta during the post-Great War era.