Janice Filmon, the wife of former Manitoba premier Gary Filmon, has been appointed as the province's 25th lieutenant governor.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Filmon's appointment on Monday, saying it was "made in keeping with the non-partisan process to select Lieutenant Governors that was announced by the Prime Minister in November 2012."

She takes over from Philip Lee, who has been the Queen's representative in Manitoba since 2009.

Filmon is a social worker, volunteer and motivational speaker known for her community and charitable work. She is currently chair of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation and a board member with the Winnipeg Airport Authority.

She is also the founding chair of Manitoba A.L.I.V.E. (A Leadership Initiative in Voluntary Efforts), which teaches selected high school students the skills needed in the voluntary sector, according to a biography attached to the prime minister's announcement.

Gary Filmon's Progressive Conservatives were in power in Manitoba from 1988 to 1999.