Prime Minister Mark Carney has named former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour as Canada’s next governor general, succeeding Mary Simon.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has named former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour as Canada’s next governor general, choosing a prominent francophone jurist with a long record in Canadian law and international human rights work.
Arbour will serve as the King’s representative in Canada and as commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces. She is set to replace Mary Simon, whose five-year term is due to end soon.
Carney announced the appointment in Ottawa on Tuesday, saying Arbour would be an exemplary “steward of our tradition of peace, order and good government” and “guardian of our constitutional order.”
“Louise Arbour will represent the best of Canada to Canadians and to the world,” Carney said, describing Canada as “clear-eyed about the challenges we face and steadfast in the values we uphold.”
Arbour accepted the role “with a deep sense of duty,” saying Canada’s strength rests in stable institutions managed wisely and sustained by concern for the country and the wider world.
Asked in French whether she considers herself a monarchist, Arbour said she did not know exactly what the term was meant to convey, but voiced support for the constitutional system she will now represent.
“I will be the representative of the Crown in a constitutional arrangement that has served Canada extremely well throughout our history, even more in recent decades,” she said. She added that the system provides continuity in Canada’s institutions and governance.
Arbour’s résumé includes service on the Supreme Court of Canada, work prosecuting war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and a term as the United Nations human rights commissioner. She has received 42 honorary doctorates and is a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour.
Her appointment also places her in formal command of a military she scrutinized closely in a 2022 review of sexual harassment and misconduct. In that probe, Arbour criticized what she described as a toxic culture of misogyny and the glorification of masculinity in the Canadian Armed Forces. The review contributed to changes in how the military prosecutes misconduct.
Arbour said Tuesday that she has “a great deal of respect for the service and professionalism” of Canadian military members.
The appointment gives Canada a governor general-designate with deep legal and international credentials as Simon’s tenure approaches its end.
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