Trudeau announced Mary Simon as the 30th governor general of Canada. Of Inuk heritage, she is the first Indigenous person to serve in this position.
OTTAWA-Inuk leader and former ambassador Mary Simon has been chosen as the next governor general. She is the first Indigenous person ever to be appointed to the role. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Queen has accepted his recommendation to appoint Simon-a past president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization-as the 30th governor general.
Simon is an Inuk from Kuujjuaq, a village in northeastern Quebec. Her mother was Inuk and her father was a white fur trader from Manitoba who worked at a Hudson's Bay Company outpost. Simon, who speaks both English and Inuktitut, has said she lived a traditional lifestyle growing up in a subarctic region, but she also learned from her father about the "non-native world."
During her childhood, she attended the federal Fort Chimo day school in the Nunavik region, a school that has been the subject of lawsuits over the mistreatment of students by administrators.
"Combined, these experiences allow me to be a bridge between the different lived realities that together make up the tapestry of Canada," Simon said. "I can relate to all people no matter where they live, what they hope for or what they need to overcome."
After her schooling, Simon worked as an announcer and producer before changing her career to advocate for Indigenous rights. 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.
In 1982, Simon was elected president of Makivik Corp., the organization created to administer the funds the Inuit received from the development on their lands. In 1986, Simon was asked to lead the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), a group created to represent the Inuit in all the Arctic countries. At the ICC, she championed two priorities for Indigenous people: protecting their way of life from environmental damage and pushing for responsible economic development on their traditional territory.
In 2002, former prime minister Jean Chrétien named her Canada's first Arctic ambassador. She also served as Canada's ambassador to Denmark.
Simon served two terms as the president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national Indigenous organization that works to advance Inuit rights. Her focus there was to advocate for more resources for young people in the North.
"Today after 154 years our country takes a historic step. I cannot think of a better person to meet the moment," said Trudeau. "It is only by reaching out to those around us, it is only by building bridges between people in the north and south, just like in the east and west that we can truly move forward."
Natan Obed, head of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and a member of the advisory board that helped select potential candidates said, "For a long time there have been barriers in place for First Nation, Inuit and Métis in this country, whether it's because of systemic racism, whether it's the fact that Indigenous languages are not official languages and therefore First Nation, Inuit and Metis are passed over because they might not have bilingualism in English and French.
"There have been conversations over the past two decades about whether or not Canada is ready for an Indigenous governor general and whether that would be appropriate," he said.
Some reporters asked Simon about her position as the first Indigenous governor general in light of the residential school scandals occurring across Canada, but Simon said she doesn't see any conflict between her identity and her new role.
"Because as the Queen's representative in Canada, I am very concerned about the circumstances that led to some of the events that we are seeing today. I do understand as an Indigenous person that there is pain and suffering across our nation," she said. "When I was asked whether I would take on this important role, I was very excited and I felt that this was a position that would help Canadians together with Indigenous Peoples."
Besides being the Queen's representative in Canada, the governor general also serves as commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces and represents Canada at events, ceremonies and official visits at home and abroad.
One of the governor general's most important responsibilities is to ensure that Canada always has a prime minister and a stable government in place that has the confidence of a functioning Parliament.
The governor general's other duties include:
• Presiding over the swearing-in of the prime minister, the chief justice of Canada and cabinet ministers.
• Summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament.
• Delivering the speech from the throne and giving royal assent to acts of Parliament.
• Signing official documents and meeting regularly with the prime minister.
"I can confidently say that my appointment is a historic and inspirational moment for Canada and an important step forward on the long path towards reconciliation," said Simon. "Indeed, my appointment comes at an especially reflective and dynamic time in our shared history."
