Pamela Wallin

Pamela Wallin is a former television journalist and Canadian diplomat. She was born on April 10, 1953 in Wadena, Saskatchewan, Canada. She is of Swedish descent. Her childhood was spent in Wadena. As per her education records, she completed high school in Moose Jaw. She graduated with a Psychology and Political Science degree from the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus in 1973.

Wallin began her career in journalism in 1974 at CBC Radio’s news division. In 1978, she joined the Ottawa Bureau of the Toronto Star and in 1980 she moved to CTV as a co-host of Canada AM. In 1985 she was named as CTV’s Ottawa bureau chief. Later she returned to Canada AM and was co-hosting with J.D. Roberts. In 1992, she was a co-host of CBC Prime Time News at 9 PM. The show fared poorly in the ratings and eventually, its name changed to The National Magazine. In April 1995, Wallin was dropped from the show. She returned to CTV for a brief period and was part of the team covering the 1995 provincial election in Ontario.

In 1995, Wallin created her own production company, Pamela Wallin Productions and launched a daily interview series, Pamela Wallin Live. The show was aired on CBC Newsworld and on CBC’s main network. It was a highly successful show, featuring Wallin interviewing interesting personalities, celebrities and newsmakers, in a manner similar to CNN’s Larry King Live. It ran successfully for four years after which Wallin moved to TalkTV cable network. In 2000, she hosted the Canadian edition of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Besides her work as a news broadcaster, Wallin published two books, Since You Asked, and Speaking of Success. In the Canadian comedy series, Royal Canadian Air Farce and Corner Gas she made cameo appearances.

Wallin became an officer at the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary. Her political career began in the mid 1970s, when she joined The Waffle, a left-wing faction in the New Democratic Party. In 2008, she was appointed as a Senator for Saskatchewan and assumed office on January 2, 2009. She belonged to the Conservative Party from 2009-2013. In May 2013 it was found that Wallin was guilty of fraudulently siphoning off funds from the public purse. Her residency and travel expense controversy became a huge scandal. Though she had a residence in Wadena, she spent much of her time in Toronto. It is said that she was always traveling by car or on flights. Her feet did not touch the ground. In November 2013, the Senate voted to suspend her without salary for two years.

She married Malcolm Fox, a cameraman with CTV in 1987. Over the years, the marriage began to crumble for reasons unknown and it ended in a divorce in 1992. Both, Wallin and Fox had no children together. She was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2001 and underwent surgery. In her late teens she inhaled marijuana. It was freely available then. Her then boyfriend was arrested for possession of marijuana and was sentenced to a one-year jail term. She maintained her relationship with him and visited him every weekend in prison. It was then that she considered a career in social work.  

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