From the CBC:
“Mary May Simon promises
'positive' workplace at Rideau Hall in 1st interview as Governor General”
Gov. Gen. Mary May Simon is
promising staff that she will build a positive work environment after her
predecessor Julie Payette left the job amid accusations that Rideau Hall had
become a toxic workplace under her watch. "I have excellent, excellent
relationships with the staff of Rideau Hall," May Simon told the CBC's
Pauline Pemik. The interview, which took place at Rideau Hall, was May Simon's
first since becoming governor general. "I reassured [staff] that the work
place is going to be in a way that is positive, forward looking, and that we
are here to serve Canadians," she said.
May Simon became Canada's first
Indigenous Governor General when she was sworn in on July 26, inheriting
stewardship of an office that had become embroiled in controversy during
Payette's final months before resignation. A review of Rideau Hall's work environment
under Payette included allegations of "yelling, screaming, aggressive
conduct, demeaning comments and public humiliations." May Simon did not
directly address those allegations or Payette's resignation in her interview. She instead spoke about her own goals as
Governor General, which include action on climate change, mental health
supports and reconciliation. "One of the things that I think we really
need to work on right away is on reconciliation," May Simon said. "I
think that one of the things we have to understand amongst ourselves is this is
not an Indigenous issue, it's a Canadian issue. And everybody has to work
together to reconcile the past and move forward."
May Simon still getting used
to new position May Simon also spoke about her initial hesitancy about
taking on the role after she had settled into what she called "a slower
lifestyle" that allowed her more time to spend with family and her
grandchildren. "That part has been a little bit challenging,"
she said. "But of course, these things take time to get used to and I'm
getting used to it." Moving into the 5,000-square-foot living
quarters at Rideau Hall was also an adjustment, May Simon said, because she had
recently downsized her home. Payette did not live at Rideau Hall. May
Simon also recalled her initial conversations about the job, when she figured
she was just one of many possible candidates. "But then I kept
getting phone calls and saying I was on the shortlist. And lo and behold, I get
a call from the prime minister one day offering me the position," she
said.
While May Simon — an Inuk from
Kuujjuaq in northeastern Quebec — has been celebrated as the first Indigenous
person to serve as Governor General, her inability to speak French has drawn
hundreds of formal complaints from French-speaking Canadians. The Office
of the Commissioner of Official Languages is now investigating the nomination
process for governors general following the complaints. But May Simon,
who was educated in a federal day school in the Nunavik region, has said she
was not given the opportunity to learn French as a child. She has promised to
try to learn it. She is bilingual, speaking English and Inuktitut.
^ Hopefully she does a good job
representing the Queen, but she needs to quickly learn French or she is not representing
all Canadians and is most-likely breaking Federal Language Rules. It seems Canada keeps moving backwards rather than forwards. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mary-may-simon-interview-1.6217456
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