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Mary Simon sworn in as Canada’s 30th governor-general
She served as Canada’s ambassador to Denmark from 1999 to 2001 while also serving as ambassador for circumpolar affairs from 1994 to 2003, during which she negotiated the creation of the Arctic Council.
Social activist, journalist and former diplomat Mary Simon was sworn in as Canada’s 30th governor-general on Monday making her the first person of indigenous heritage to hold the post.
She was sworn in by the chief justice of the Canadian Supreme Court at a ceremony in the chamber of Senate of Canada in the country’s capital, Ottawa, in the first-ever socially distanced event, with limited attendance due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Simon, 73, was born in the village of Kangiqsualujjuaq in the Nunavik region of the province of Quebec. During her career, she has championed the rights of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada.
She served as Canada’s ambassador to Denmark from 1999 to 2001 while also serving as ambassador for circumpolar affairs from 1994 to 2003, during which she negotiated the creation of the Arctic Council.
In 2008, she delivered the formal response of the Inuit to an apology from the Government of Canada on residential schools in the House of Commons.
She was appointed to the position by Queen Elizabeth II as the governor-general is the monarch’s representative in the country. That appointment was announced on July 6.
It also comes at a time when hundreds of unmarked graves of indigenous children have been unearthed across Canada. These graves were discovered at or near residential schools that had been run by the Catholic Church in the past.
Simon’s appointment was seen as a symbol of an attempt at reconciliation with the indigenous people during a time of crisis.
While her appointment was largely praised, there were a handful of complaints to the commissioner of official languages of Canada, as she does not speak French, but is fluent in English and Inuktitut, the Inuit language. Those complaints, numbering over 400, are being investigated by the watchdog.
The post of governor-general fell vacant following the resignation of Simon’s predecessor Julie Payette in January. In a development unparalleled in Canadian history, she resigned following the submission of an independent report about a toxic work environment in her official quarters of Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
While other governor-generals in the past were unable to complete their tenures due to death or illness, this is the first time an incumbent had to leave the office amid controversy.
A former astronaut, Payette was a high-profile selection by the Trudeau government to become governor-general in 2017.
