OTTAWA — Pointing to the shifting global political landscape and rising uncertainty, Prime Minister Mark Carney has named highly acclaimed longtime jurist Louise Arbour to be Canada’s next governor general.
“It’s a duty that calls for sound judgment, deep learning and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law,” Carney said during the announcement of Arbour’s recommendation at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa Tuesday. “That is the office, and it is the office to which I have asked His Majesty to appoint a Canadian whose entire life has been dedicated to that very principle.”
Governors general are appointed by the monarch at the recommendation of the prime minister. Carney confirmed Tuesday that King Charles III has approved Arbour’s appointment.
Citing Arbour’s extensive CV, Carney said the incoming governor general’s career is not marked by her accomplishments, but rather “the lives she has changed through her service.”
Arbour is a former Supreme Court of Canada justice, and has also served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
Referencing those latter roles, Carney said Arbour “inherited two institutions that many believed could not succeed,” but added: “She made them succeed.”
In 2021, Arbour was appointed to lead an independent review of sexual misconduct in the Canadian military — producing a more-than 400-page report and 48 recommendations the following year — before going into private practice.
Carney said while the Supreme Court of Canada is typically “more than enough for one lifetime,” Arbour’s work in the decades since has been “her most consequential.”
Arbour is a companion of the Order of Canada — the country’s highest civilian honour — and holds 42 honorary doctorates, in addition to dozens of other honours and awards.
“It also tells us something about what Louise Arbour will bring to Rideau Hall, the conviction that institutions are the load-bearing walls of a civil society, and that they remain trustworthy only as long as someone is willing to hold them accountable,” Carney said. “Louise Arbour has held nearly every office a Canadian jurist can hold, and several that no Canadian has held before.”
Asked about her previous experience and preference for working in the field and what she hopes to accomplish in a more “handshaking” role, Arbour said while there’s a level of adrenaline that comes from fieldwork, she’s feeling “very serene and very enthusiastic” to serve Canada as Governor General.
She was born in Montreal, is fluently bilingual in French and English, something her predecessor, outgoing Gov. Gen. Mary Simon struggled with throughout her five-year tenure, which is coming to an end in July.
Since Vincent Massey in 1952 — the first governor general appointed at the recommendation of the prime minister — all governors general have spoken both English and French, though some faced criticism for their lack of fluency in the early days of their tenures.
Carney recognizes Simon’s service
Simon — who is fluent in both Inuktitut and English — made history by becoming the first Indigenous person to take on the role.
During his address Tuesday, Carney recognized her years serving as Governor General.
“Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary Simon has been a steadfast representative of Canada and our institutions, at home and around the world, as the first Indigenous person to serve in this role,” he said. “She’s carried forward a lifetime of advocacy for Inuit rights, for Indigenous self determination and for the preservation of our Indigenous languages, cultures and identities.”
Before becoming Governor General, Simon was a diplomat — serving as Canada’s ambassador to Denmark from 1999 to 2002 — and an Inuk leader.
Simon spent six years as chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, a multinational non-governmental organization representing about 180,000 Inuit people in Canada, Greenland and Alaska.
She was also one of nine members of the Nunavut Implementation Commission, which helped navigate the division of the Northwest Territories to create Nunavut.
In acknowledging Simon’s tenure as Governor General, Carney also referenced Canada’s position in a world that’s rapidly changing.
“At a time when much of the world is buffeted by crises and the worst are full of passionate intensity, Canada’s history, our institutions and our enduring traditions matter more than ever,” Carney said. “We retain our convictions. We reinforce our institutions.”
“As Mary Simon has, Louise Arbour will represent the best of Canada to Canadians and to the world,” he added. “A country that’s a bastion of security, prosperity and justice. A beacon to a world lost at sea. A Canada that is clear-eyed about the challenges we face and steadfast in the values we uphold.”
Arbour also began her address by thanking Simon for her service, saying she is “very mindful of the legacy that (she is) stepping into.”
Blanchet says ‘utmost respect’ for Arbour
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said despite being inherently against the monarchy, he respects Arbour and her work.
“I must admit that even if there are some issues about which I would not agree with Madame Arbour, I have utmost respect for that woman,” Blanchet said.
“There’s no possibility to create a bridge on the gap between (Quebecers) and the British monarchy,” he also said.
On her way into Question Period on Tuesday, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May joked that she won her office pool by guessing Arbour would be the prime minister’s pick.
“She’s obviously on the category of great Canadian no matter what, and now she’s our governor general, it’s an excellent choice,” she also said.
A slate of MPs from across the aisle also commented on the announcement Tuesday.
With files from CTV News’ Judy Trinh and Abigail Bimman
