At long last, prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his pick for the next Governor General – and that the Queen had approved of her appointment. The choice is Mary Simon, an Inuk woman from Nunavik in northern Quebec, who started off at CBC North, moved on to negotiating land claims and was part of the constitutional negotiationsin the early 1980s, and later served as Canadian ambassador to Denmark and to the Arctic Council, before becoming president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, serving two terms. The only real downside was that she doesn’t speak French, and she cited that it was because it was not offered during as a choice when she attended day schools in the 1950s, but was committed to learn it – though it does bear noting that Inuktitut is an official language in Nunavut, so that should count for something among critics.
PMJT says the Queen has approved Simon’s selection as next Governor General. pic.twitter.com/433FUmDilI
— Glen McGregor (@glen_mcgregor) July 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1412425923463372816
Here is the announcement of Mary Simon’s appointment on the Queen’s website. #MapleCrown https://t.co/wxUSt23upg pic.twitter.com/WQG1TozrU7
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/sachaforstner/status/1412417956756267011
https://twitter.com/sachaforstner/status/1412417960271097868
Speaking of critics, here is a rundown of praise and criticism for the choice, as well as some praise from some of the loudest Indigenous advocates in the country, as well as a few others. One of the recurring things that keeps coming up, however, is that Simon is taking on a role that is colonial, and while Simon herself doesn’t see a conflict (and I’m told that the Inuit view their relationship with Canada differently than the First Nations do). Something that I’ve also seen a lot of online have been variations of “If she doesn’t use the office to burn it to the ground, then what good is it?” or “I hope she’s the last Governor General,” and the usual republican nonsense that misidentifies exactly which queen she will be representing, but of course, the problem with these narratives are both that a) as Governor General, she it’s not her place to burn it all down – that’s why we elect governments; and b) abolishing the monarchy will only complete the colonial project, not advance reconciliation. There are too many facile narratives floating around that only serve to make things worse, not better.
Senator Carignan complains that Mary Simon doesn’t speak French. (He also calls her the head of state, which is wrong — he knows it’s the Queen, and yes, she does speak French). pic.twitter.com/K5jaQM3Mov
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/robert_hiltz/status/1412480494390886401
Meanwhile, Philippe Lagassé enumerates the additional burdens that Simon will have to take on – rehabilitating the office post-Julie Payette, dealing with military sexual misconduct as the commander-in-chief, and walking the line of being the representative of the Crown in a time of reconciliation. Susan Delacourt states that Simon should have been appointed in 2017, making the salient point that she is experience over novelty, and diplomacy over celebrity. Aaron Wherry argues that the appointment is not simply empty symbolism. Paul Wells emphasises the value of presence and being present in the role, which Simon will fulfil greatly.