Inuk leader Mary Simon appointed as Canada’s 30th Governor General

By Ken Polk

Prime Minister Trudeau’s appointment of Mary Simon as the first Indigenous Governor General of Canada has obvious symbolic importance but also sends interesting electoral signals. There is an old political truism in Canada that support for Indigenous issues is a mile wide but only an inch deep. High principles can waiver in the context of Indigenous protests that result in blocked railways, bridges and highways. Indeed, it is worth remembering that railroad blockades were a hot button issue just prior to the onset of the pandemic. In recent tragic weeks, the terrible legacy of residential schools has been made plain to all. We have also seen related symbolic protests around cancelling Canada Day and the toppling of statues — all of which sparked lively, necessary, public debates.

This could put pressure on the new Governor General to engage publicly. As we approach an expected election where it appears that the government has a comfortable lead, and with the opposition parties scrambling to find issues that have traction, a sudden eruption of protests — symbolic or otherwise — could become a wild card. Presumably, the Prime Minister and his advisors have thought this through and are comfortable with the risk and ready for the debate. If they have not, they should have.

This is an historic, long overdue appointment, especially given the Crown-Indigenous relationship. It is being justly and broadly celebrated. The durability of that support remains to be seen.

Former Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Mary Simon, an Inuk leader who served as Canada’s first Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, has been appointed the next Governor General of Canada. ‘I believe strongly that if we embrace our common humanity and shared responsibility for one another, Canada’s greatest days are yet to come,’ she said. / Photograph by Adam Scotti