Alex Johnston

Barbara Alexandra Johnston is a Canadian lawyer, author, policy advisor, women's advocate, and businesswoman as well as the daughter of David Johnston, the former Governor General of Canada from 2010 to 2017.

Early life

Johnston was born to David Johnston, later the 28th Governor General of Canada, and his wife, Sharon. She was her parents' second of five children, having been born after her elder sister, Deborah, and preceding her younger sisters, Sharon, Jenifer, and Catherine.

Johnston would spend her early years in Montreal, becoming bilingual in English and French.

Career

Johnston practiced corporate and commercial law at Goodmans LLP before joining the office of former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, where she was executive director of policy between 2003 and 2011. In that role, Johnston worked alongside Gerald Butts, McGuinty's principal secretary. In her role at Catalyst, Johnston highlighted the persistence of gender inequalities in the workplace, including gender pay gap in Canada that was double the global average. In 2016, Johnston was appointed as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's VP of strategy and public affairs.

In 2021, Johnston published Inconceivable: My Life-Altering Eye-Opening Journey from Infertility to Motherhood, a book documenting her experiences overcoming infertility. In the book, Johnston advocates for a more effective and inclusive approach to addressing infertility in Canada, as an increase in the average Canadian child-bearing age has led to an increase in age-related infertility.

Personal life

Johnston and her husband, David, are parents to three children: two daughters, Georgia and Sadie, and one son, Lucas. Johnston and her family currently live in Toronto.

Arms