Rosemary Thompson

Rosemary Thompson was one of Canada's best known journalists. She has covered some of the biggest stories of our generation as a correspondent for CTV and CBC.

Ms. Thompson was named CTV's Montreal Bureau Chief during the 1990s, a period of political turmoil in Quebec. During the referendum campaign in 1995, she had a seat on the referendum bus for 37 days and followed former Québec Premier Jacques Parizeau and the former leader of the Bloc Québécois, Lucien Bouchard. She has covered national politics for more than 20 years as a journalist in Winnipeg, Montréal, Washington, and Ottawa.

Ms. Thompson has reported on the careers of five prime ministers and has covered seven election campaigns as a field reporter. After all of that time on the road, Ms. Thompson believes she's seen nearly every corner of Canada. Her work has also allowed her to travel the world, going to Europe, Asia, Latin America, and across the United States. As the first woman ever to be named Washington correspondent for CTV in 2000, she covered the contested election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. On the morning of September 11, 2001, she was on the lawn of the White House, covering the terrorist attacks and their aftermath.

Ms. Thompson has received numerous awards for her work, from the New York Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the Emmy Awards) for her reporting during September 11th, to several awards from the Radio Television News Directors Association. Her documentary on the Dionne Quintuplet's trust fund was nominated for a Gemini Award. In 2010, she received a lifetime achievement award from Canada's National Press Club. In 2012, she received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work promoting the arts, women, and journalism in Canada.

Ms. Thompson joined the National Arts Centre in 2009 as director of communications and public affairs and corporate secretary. Since her arrival, she has coordinated a royal visit to the National Arts Centre when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh unveiled a statue of Canadian jazz great, Oscar Peterson. She has also re-introduced the centre's tradition of screening great Canadian films, including Barney's Version, Monsieur Lazhar, and Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould.

Rosemary Thompson is married and has two children. She is fluently bilingual.