Hnatyshyn was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in the 1974 federal election. He was part of the cabinet of two different Prime Ministers, Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. He was chosen by Queen Elizabeth II to replace Jeanne Sauvé as the Governor General in 1989. He was sworn in on January 29, 1990. He was replaced as Governor General in 1995 by Roméo LeBlanc.