New GG

From the CBC:

“Mary Simon officially becomes Canada's first Inuk Governor General”

Mary Simon is now Canada's first Indigenous Governor General. Simon — an Inuk from Kuujjuaq in northeastern Quebec — was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fill the role earlier this month. She took her oaths this morning in a ceremony at the Senate chambers in Ottawa. In his address this morning, Trudeau said Canada needs someone like Simon now. "You remind us that true leadership is not measured in the honours or distinction stacked up behind someone's name – although today, you take on yet another title among many," he said. "Rather, true leadership is measured in what you do for those around you. It is measured in an ability to reach out and build a brighter future for all, not just a lucky few. "In this moment of unprecedented change – of rebuilding from the pandemic, of fighting the climate crisis, of walking forward on the path of reconciliation – we need your vision of a stronger Canada for everyone."

Today's swearing-in ceremony was, for the first time, conducted in both English and Inuktitut and broadcast in eight Indigenous languages on CBC Radio. CBC's chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton is hosting coverage of Monday's event from Ottawa on CBC News Network, CBC TV, and CBC Gem. While the installation ceremony was smaller than in previous years, due to COVID-19 public health measures, it still offered some of the familiar pomp associated with the vice-regal position, including a 21-gun salute.  It was also punctuated by nods to Simon's heritage, including the lighting of a Qulliq, a traditional Inuit oil lamp used to light and warm the home.

Following the ceremony, Simon is to visit the National War Memorial to inspect a guard of honour and lay flowers in honour of Canada's war dead — her first act as the Queen's representative in Canada. Simon took her first step into the official role Thursday when she spoke with the Queen. In a short clip of the online conversation that was posted on The Royal Family's Instagram account, the Queen said it was good to speak with Simon and told her she was "taking over a very important job." "Yes, I'm very privileged to be able to do this work over the next few years," Simon said. "I think it's vitally important for our country." Indigenous leaders — particularly representatives of the Inuit community — have praised the appointment. "I'm excited for Mary, I'm actually very excited for Canada. This is a step forward in reconciliation," Natan Obed, the president of the national Inuit group Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), said Monday morning. "It's also just a potential for Canadians to understand more about Canada and Canadians and what incredible diversity and strength we have in our Indigenous peoples, and also what great leadership and accomplishment we have in Inuit,  First Nations and Métis in this country."

But concerns have been raised about Simon's ability to speak French. While she is fully fluent in English and Inuktitut, Simon is not fluent in French. Typically, the governor general is expected to have a complete command of both official languages. Despite Simon's promise to continue taking French lessons while serving as governor general, hundreds of French speaking Canadians have written complaints to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages triggering an investigation by Commissioner Raymond Théberge. Despite growing up in northern Quebec, Simon said she never had an opportunity to learn French at an early age because it was not taught at the federal day school she attended. Day schools operated separately from residential schools but were run by many of the same groups that ran residential schools. They operated from the 1860s to the 1990s. Obed said Canadians need to rethink the way they view bilingualism. "Inuktitut is a founding language of this country. And yes, Mary Simon is not fluent in French today, she has pledged to learn it, but really, we as Canadians have to think more broadly and holistically about the linguistic diversity of this country," he said. "We have to celebrate Indigenous languages and understand that they are founding languages of this country. And that matters, as do French and English, absolutely. But Inuktitut belongs in Rideau Hall just as much as French and English." The government has maintained that Simon is an exemplary candidate despite her lack of fluency in French. Simon brings an extensive resume with her to Rideau Hall, following a career that included various positions as an advocate and ambassador. She helped negotiate the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement in 1975, a landmark deal between the Cree and Inuit in Quebec's north, the provincial government and Hydro-Québec. Widely seen as the country's "first modern treaty," the agreement saw the province acknowledge Cree and Inuit rights in the James Bay region for the first time, such as exclusive hunting, fishing and trapping rights and self-governance in some areas. It also offered financial compensation in exchange for the construction of massive new hydroelectric dams to fuel the growing province's demand for new energy sources. Simon was also an Inuit representative during the negotiations that led to the patriation of the Constitution in 1982 — which included an acknowledgement of Indigenous treaty rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In 1986, Simon was tapped to lead the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), a group created in 1977 to represent the Inuit in all the Arctic countries. At the ICC, she championed two priorities for Indigenous Peoples of the north: protecting their way of life from environmental damage and pushing for responsible economic development on their traditional territory. In 1994, former prime minister Jean Chrétien appointed Simon as Canada's first ambassador for circumpolar affairs. During her time in that role, she helped negotiate the creation of an eight-country group known today as the Arctic Council. She would later be appointed as Canada's ambassador to Denmark. Beginning in 2006, Simon served two terms as president of the ITK. In that role, she delivered a response on behalf of Inuit to the formal apology for residential schools presented in the House of Commons in 2008.

^ While it is good to have a new Governor-General the fact that she does not speak French is a major issue. I understand she can speak English and Inuktitut and while that it is good the official languages of Canada are English and French. By not speaking French she can not fully represent the Queen of Canada inside Canada or to the rest of the world. ^

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mary-simon-installed-as-governor-general-1.6114622