Cnadian PM Mark Carney Names Canada’s next Governor General

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:05]Thank you. Thank you.

[00:00:45]Okay, good morning everyone.

[00:00:47]>> Good morning everyone.

[00:00:53]traditional queen and he set on a song to tell.

[00:01:21]It's appropriate this morning at the National Weathering this morning at the National Gallery.

[00:01:27]>> A few blocks away from here.

[00:01:28]>> A few blocks away from Clarendon Hotel.

[00:01:31]The then 146 years ago 146 years ago exhibition was held exhibition was held of the Canadian Academy of the Arts.

[00:01:38]>> That academy was the dream of the then was the dream of the then Governor General the Marcus of Lauren and his wife her royal highness Princess Louise.

[00:01:50]They believed that a young confederation needed institutions through which it could see itself and through which it could be seen by the world. 388 works hung in the Clarendon that evening and those works would become the seeds of this gallery which today holds more than 17,000 works of Canadian indigenous and global art.

[00:02:17]Canada was built on the foundations of three peoples, indigenous, French, and British.

[00:02:27]Indigenous peoples mapped this continent, sustained its lands and waters, and built trading networks from coast to coast to coast for thousands of years before any European arrival.

[00:02:40]The French built a society shaped by river and forest, by partnership with indigenous nations and by a determination to flourish in a new world.

[00:02:52]When the British came, that civilization did not disappear.

[00:02:57]It suffered but endured. And in time, it grew into the federation that we know today.

[00:03:04]Let's be clear, that founding was imperfect. It excluded too many. It was built in part on the dispossession and broken promises to indigenous peoples.

[00:03:15]But that founding contained an insight.

[00:03:19]An insight that has carried us forward that unity does not require uniformity.

[00:03:25]That our differences are a strength to be nurtured, not a risk to be managed.

[00:03:31]That insight has been sustained and then reinforced generation after generation by our institutions.

[00:03:38]Parliament, the courts, the crown, the treaties, the charter, the public service, a free press.

[00:04:11]a year ago. His Majesty King Charles opened our parliament with a speech from the throne. The first time in nearly 70 years that Canada's sovereign had done so in person.

[00:04:23]The crown is a continuous thread through our constitutional life. It is, as his majesty himself said, a symbol of Canada in all her richness and dynamism.

[00:04:36]And the Governor General is the crown's representative in Canada, commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces, steward of our traditions of peace, order, and good government.

[00:04:51]And above all, the Governor General is the guardian of our constitutional order.

[00:04:58]The most demanding part of that role is rarely seen. It's the duty to ensure that government in Canada is formed, sustained, and when the time comes, dismissed in accordance with law and convention.

[00:05:14]It's a duty that calls for sound judgment, deep learning, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.

[00:05:22]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.

[00:05:36]I'm very pleased to announce that on my recommendation his majesty has approved the appointment of the honorable Louise Arbor as the 31st governor general of Canada.

[00:05:50]Memorial Quebec.

[00:06:11]at Osgood Hall.

[00:06:19]In 1987, Louise Arbor was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ontario as it was then known. In 1990, she was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. In 1999, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

[00:06:36]one of Canada's most demanding judicial careers, more than enough for one lifetime. That career would serve only as the foundation for what came next because her most consequential work as a jurist was beyond the Canadian courtroom. In 1996, Luis Arbor was appointed by the United Nations Security Council as chief prosecutor of the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, the first international criminal tribunals since Nuremberg.

[00:07:15]She inherited two institutions that many believed could not succeed.

[00:07:21]She made them succeed.

[00:07:23]Under her leadership, the tribunal secured the first conviction for genocide since the adoption of the genocide convention in 1948.

[00:07:33]The Akayu judgment which also established for the first time that sexual violence can constitute a weapon of genocide and a crime against humanity.

[00:07:45]And in n in 1999 in the middle of a war she signed the indictment of a sitting head of statean Milosovich for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws of war.

[00:07:58]Something that had never been done before.

[00:08:12]technique.

[00:08:20]Person That proposition is the foundation of Canadian citizenship.

[00:08:38]We're a country whose civic identity is grounded in the universality of rights.

[00:08:45]That what is owed to one of us is owed to all of us. And what is owed to a Canadian is owed in our tradition to every human being whether or not they have the great good fortune to live here.

[00:09:01]In 2004, Louise Arbor left the Supreme Court of Canada to become United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. For four years, she gave voice to those whose dignity was denied in places where the powerful preferred silence. She did not flinch, and she never confused being heard with being safe.

[00:09:25]It exists Madame debress.

[00:10:00]Kingston Canada system.

[00:10:44]Canadian.

[00:10:47]Her work matters in and of itself.

[00:10:50]It also tells us something about what Louise Arbor will bring to RTO Hall.

[00:10:57]The conviction that institutions are the loadbearing walls of a civil society and that they remain trustworthy only as long as some someone is willing to hold them accountable.

[00:11:10]Luise Arbor has held nearly every office a Canadian jurist can hold and several that no Canadian has held before.

[00:11:20]She has been recognized with nearly 100 honors and awards, including 42 honorary doctorates from universities around the world. She's a companion of the Order of Canada, our country's highest civilian honor. But the measure of her career is neither in the offices she has held, nor the awards she's received. It's in the lives she has changed through her service.

[00:11:42]Survivors of genocide who saw justice in their lifetimes.

[00:11:47]Women in prisons in Canada whose conditions were improved because she said what no one else would say. Members of our armed forces who can serve today with greater dignity because of the report that she wrote.

[00:12:11]effectu across more than five decades. In every role she's held, the Honorable Louise Abor has carried the same conviction.

[00:12:45]That a free society depends on institutions properly being held to account. That the law stands between power and the powerless. That the dignity of every person should not be a product of the accidents of geography, citizenship, or convenience. and that Canada's place in the world is to be a country that lives those propositions and helps others to live them as well. A deeply Canadian conviction, one that's older than our charter and broader than our borders. It runs through our public life. From the person's case to the patriation of our Constitution, from the building of Medicare to the building of the United Nations.

[00:13:28]Fore.

[00:13:53]Now before I conclude, we observe that Madame Marbore will succeed an exemplary governor general. Her excellency the right honorable 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, 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.

[00:14:34]Madame Simon So leadership for the difficult.

[00:15:11]Suage, determinab.

[00:15:33]Dut to our excellency Governor General Simon to his excellency Whit Fraser to your family. Thank you for your extraordinary service to Canada.

[00:15:46]At a time when much of the world is buffeted by crisis and the worst are full of passionate intensity. Canada's history, our institutions, and our enduring traditions matter more than ever. We retain our convictions.

[00:16:02]We reinforce our institutions as Mary Simon has. Louise Arbbor will represent the best of Canada to Canadians and to the world. A country that's a bastion of security, prosperity, and justice. A beacon to a world lost at sea. A Canada that is cleareyed about the challenges we face and steadfast in the values we uphold. A Canada that's not just strong, but good.

[00:16:31]A Canada that's not just prosperous but fair. A Canada that is not just for some most of the time but for all all of the time.

[00:16:55]It's my pleasure to introduce the 31st Governor General of Canada, the Honorable Louise Arbor. Madame My gratitude extraordinary Mary Simon Canada is a wonderful country shaped by its diversity of people, of perspectives and experiences, but I think shaped also mostly by a common respect for strong public institutions and for the rule of law.

[00:18:12]Above all, we all thrive strive to provide for each other in a spirit of equality and generosity.

[00:18:22]I'm very mindful of the legacy um that I'm stepping into.

[00:18:37]Fore!

[00:18:46]Foreign! Foreign!

[00:19:03]Not Canada.

[00:19:24]responsibility.

[00:19:41]Like them, I will strive to serve with honor, dedication, and integrity.

[00:19:56]Thank you. We'll now turn to questions.

[00:19:58]Ashley Burke.

[00:20:00]>> Good morning. Madame, Prime Minister Ashley Burke, CBC News. There's an expense program for former governor's generals that allows them to claim up more than $200,000 a year. That's on top of their expenses. And they the reimbursements last year totaled more than $550,000.

[00:20:17]A privy council report in 2019 said there wasn't enough transparency around this that Canadians should know exactly how that money is being spent and by who and it called for more transparent public reporting. Do you think this program should continue and if so will you commit to ensuring that there is more uh this the details about how this money is spent and by who will be made public?

[00:20:38]>> Uh well thank you very much for that question. Um I'm not familiar with the details uh that you're uh you're quoting. I we'll certain I'll look into it uh ensure that uh as you say that there's adequate transparency around the uh expenses. I I will um I I'll just observe that um uh the governor generals uh have served our country uh with distinction um and uh in many in in the cases in their post uh uh time after being governor general continue to serve Canadians through their charitable and other foundation activities for which I'm personally grateful and I think all Canadians are as well. Thank you.

[00:21:14]>> Do you think that the details of that should be public? And to both of you, um what is the Governor General's role role right now, do you think, in promoting national unity at a time when it looks like there could be a referendum on on separation in uh Alberta and as well a party that wants one in Quebec could return to power.

[00:21:33]>> So I I I'll begin. Um I I think I answered the sec the first part of your second question. Um, we'll follow up with you um with with everybody uh transparently. Um the um in terms of the Governor General represents all Canadians um and uh I think very importantly represents uh what's at the heart of our institutions and the spirit of uh of Canada that we're all equal. Uh the rule of law applies to everyone uh the powerful as well as uh the powerless. Uh that we believe in democracy and uh the processes. So with respect to uh the many uh great strengths uh of this country, they're as appreciated in my home province of Alberta uh as they are appreciated across the territories where I was born um and across this great land. uh and the governor general uh's role uh is institutional in the sense of very clear constitutional responsibilities uh that are called into uh in into need from time to time but also to represent uh Canada at home best of Canada to Canadians and abroad.

[00:22:39]>> Next question.

[00:22:40]>> I can only echo first the constitutional role of the governor general which I think is a very important part of the function. uh but beyond that I think there is a space for the governor general to be uh conducive of Canadian dialogue uh with respect to diverse I've mentioned the diversity of our people diversity of views of opinions of experiences but all that I think in the in a spirit of uh respect and moving the country forward uh in an ambitious united way.

[00:23:16]>> Next question.

[00:23:18]Lawrence, Madame, Governor General Canada, Madame Simon.

[00:24:28]Governor General to Canada.

[00:24:35]Right.

[00:24:41]Simon [laughter] Um, monarchy constitutional question. Next question.

[00:25:42]>> Uh, I forget the question.

[00:25:44]>> Can someone repeat the question in English, please?

[00:25:46]>> Yes. Yeah. Am I a monarchy? Well, I started by saying that this term is unfortunately very often used in a porative way. Um, what I can say is that um I will exceed to a function in which I will be the representative of the crown in a constitutional arrangement that I think has served Canada extremely well throughout our history, but even more in recent uh decades. I think a system that will continue uh to provide continuity in our institutions and our form of governance.

[00:26:23]>> Next question. Question. Risa.

[00:26:24]>> Good morning. Rice Patel the Toronto Star. Prime Minister, you said in your recent trip to Armenia that it's your strong personal view that as the international order will be rebuilt, it will be rebuilt out of Europe. What did you mean by that? Do you see a future where Europe overtakes uh the US as the center of the world order? Well, I think the and there's a there's a direct line to what we're celebrating today. I think we are celebrating uh the constitutional role of the Governor General. I and other Canadians are celebrating Mad Moore's willingness to serve uh in that role uh which is a belief in democracy uh the rule of law uh that we're all equal before that law and imperfectly uh the international system had variants of that. But Amar Bor's part of her very distinguished career uh was to make sure that those who transgressed in the most egregious ways those rules, norms, standards uh were prosecuted and brought to uh brought to justice. um that system as I've observed in the past and I'm not alone in making this obs these observations uh has been greatly weakened um and needs to be rebuilt and rebuilt uh perhaps in a different way but rebuilt based on the same principles and Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, others uh countries share very firm convictions uh with those principles and we will work together uh to rebuild and obviously there's a critical mass in Europe of countries 27 members of the European Union but then a broader grouping that you saw in that meeting in Armenia over 50 countries uh that have some form of association with Europe and either fully support or moving towards those principles. So that's what I meant by those comments and I stand by them.

[00:28:20]>> Followup. Uh, Alberta separatists say they have more than 300,000 signatures to potentially trigger a referendum vote. What will you do to stop that referendum from winning?

[00:28:30]>> Well, there's a couple of things. One is uh there's again keeping with the uh discussion today. There is uh there's the rule of law. There's the clarity act uh which has been appined upon by uh the Supreme Court. not the same time when uh Madame Orbour was sitting on the Supreme Court but uh has been uh the judgment passed there and any referenda uh in any part of Canada need to uh need to be consistent with that. As you know as well there's a judicial you may know there's a judicial challenge uh uh separately but relatedly by indigenous uh nations uh in Alberta uh regarding the question. So those processes have to be have to be followed through. But if if you bring it into So I'm observing that because of the somnity of the moment that we're observing today and celebrating today. Uh but if you bring it into my day-to-day responsibilities and those of the government, uh it's to continue to act as we have from the start, which is in the spirit of cooperative federalism, making the country work, making it work for Albertans, making it work for the uh for indigenous peoples, making it work for all Canadians. Thank you.

[00:29:38]>> Next question.

[00:29:49]Donald Trump.

[00:30:05]Fore!

[00:30:10]Foreign! Foreign!

[00:30:20]Liberia personality context.

[00:31:09]Fore sist.

[00:32:03]Canadian.

[00:32:08]Hello. Um uh well I uh in English um I think you understood the question. So u you know as as his majesty King Charles observed just last week uh when uh he spoke before Congress to to great applause uh that the United States is a country founded on the rule of law the right of individuals um and this is what we are reinforcing celebrating today uh an institution at the core of our constitutional system uh with someone whose entire career career has been dedicated uh to those principles coming into uh such a respons such a responsibility at a crucial time. Thank you.

[00:32:56]>> Next question.

[00:32:57]>> Hi, good morning. Cameron Ryan with CPAC. Uh my question is to Madame Ab.

[00:33:01]You authored a report four years ago on sexual assault in the Canadian Armed Forces and you issued 48 recommendations stemming from your investigation. In the four years since then, have you seen any progress in how the military treats sexual assault cases and the culture in the forces you called out in that report? You're now the commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces. Will that be an issue that will be a priority for you as governor general?

[00:33:25]>> I have to say I haven't followed developments uh and I wasn't in a position as a citizen to follow the developments with the same level of of scrutiny uh than I did when I issued that report. The report speaks for itself. as to whether there have been initiatives both formal and informal um this is out in the public domain um I don't have particular insight just to add uh 47 of the 48 recommendations of Madame Orbour uh report have been implemented there is one that is outstanding which uh is one of the core I I referred to it obliquely in my remarks uh which is the change to military tribunals milit justice and that is before parliament bill C11 and it is an absolute priority. It's been from the start which is why the government introduced it u and we will put it in place. Yeah.

[00:34:20]>> Follow up.

[00:34:20]>> My followup is to uh the prime minister.

[00:34:22]Uh Premier Smith is in town later this week for the Canada Strong and Free Conference. Do you have plans to meet with her and discuss uh the possible upcoming referendum?

[00:34:32]>> Funny. I thought she was in town to meet me because yes, there are plans to meet.

[00:34:36]Uh and if that's good, if she's uh here, she can take in other activities. But I'm sure the highlight of her visit to uh the great city of Ottawa uh will be a side visit to uh Nepian uh my constituency, but also uh we yeah, no, we're we're having a meeting that's being settled. I can't remember if it's Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, but uh it's been arranged. I very much look forward to seeing >> referendum talk be agenda.

[00:35:01]>> See your followup.

[00:35:02]>> Next question.

[00:35:25]Right.

[00:35:48]Forecept.

[00:36:04]Polist Fore extraordinire.

[00:36:54]particular Governor General Canada not important minority don't uh Say deficipial constitution.

[00:38:12]Donald Post.

[00:38:34]We'll have time for one more question.

[00:38:36]>> David Aken, Global News. Good afternoon and congratulations, Madame Mart. Um I would like to ask uh your resume was awfully impressive and the prime minister certainly finds it impressive and yet at times there have been political parties in this country who've taken issue with your work and I'm going to reference the comment in 2008 of the Treasury Board President at the time Vic Taves who after you concluded your work with the UNHCR called you and I'm quoting from his words in the House of Commons disgusting. And just yesterday, a senior aid to former Prime Minister Harper, Howard Angland, also former chief of staff to Jason Kenny, tweeted out, "Anybody but our boore." So there's a point here is there's conservatives in this country who took issue with you as a quote judicial activist and so on and human rights. And I wondered how you might bridge or seek to make bridges with conservatives who might not be so happy with your appointment. And I think you were probably prime minister, you were probably at the Bank of Canada at the time. I wondered if you'd taken notice of uh Mr. Tav's uh comments and what you think about conservatives who didn't seem to have much respect for Ms. Arbor's work at uh at the UNHCR.

[00:39:46]>> Madame, >> well, I can tell you that um as I said before, we live in a country where there's a great free space for expression of contrary views, even at times expressed in very robust fashion.

[00:40:02]And I have immense respect for that process. Uh I will reach out not only to those who agree with me. The kind of cheerleading mode I think is not always conducive to change and to progress. I will reach out to anybody who wishes to engage with me to debate to discuss. I will listen and I hope uh in due course that I will manage to persuade those particularly those who may doubt uh my integrity that I'm not sure I could do much more to try to persuade them otherwise on the basis of what I've done before but going forward um yeah I will engage.

[00:40:44]>> Thank you.

[00:40:46]>> Uh I I'll make two observations three observations. one is sorry don't want to short change you David right >> uh the first is that uh I think history has shown that uh the judgments of the UNHCR at the time uh how correct they were the the crimes against humanity and others that uh uh were were addressed um the first observation the second is I don't want to extend into a partisan uh characterization of this this is an institution that belong belongs to all Canadians, all political parties, but truly all Canadians, uh, all Canadians today and in the future, too, because in what we do with the institutions we serve, uh, resonates down through the years. And it's part of what I referred to in my remarks in French about the example and and how the institutional change that Madame Mar has brought isn't just about the institution, but the norms and the standards that have changed. And my third observation is that the sun is shining. It's spring.

[00:41:46]It's a time of hope, confidence, uh, dignity, and a bright future for our country.

[00:41:52]>> And perhaps I'll close with a a question. This is from Madna Marbor.

[00:41:56]Sort of a big picture think about things. You were born in Montreal. Luis Salaron was the prime minister. Um, we're about to Queen Elizabeth II was about to appoint the first ever Canadian Governor General, Vincent Massie. You'll be the first Governor General to be appointed by a monarch other than Queen Elizabeth, which is quite remarkable.

[00:42:16]We've had the Bill of Rights in your lifetime. The charter has come in in your lifetime. I wondered if you and we're now looking at a commander-in-chief of the armed forces who's a Quebecer and the chief of defense staff is also a Quebec woman.

[00:42:29]It's quite a series of changes in your lifetime. And I wonder if you'd care to reflect on the change in leadership here in Canada through those years. And if you have some thoughts about was the charter a bigger deal than the Bill of Rights. I caution you'll get in trouble with conservatives on that answer, but go ahead. Well, you know, I'm not going to get into trouble right now because I'm going to give myself, if you'll allow me, the next few weeks before I actually assume my functions to reflect on many, many of these this historical trajectory, uh, where we came from, where we are today. I'm much more interested also in where we're going and what's ahead of us. But please just give me time to reflect on all that and I hope to have uh something a little more uh fully baked for you in the future.

[00:43:16]>> Thank you. Merci.

[00:43:17]>> Thank you. This presenter press conferences.

[00:43:20]Thank you. Yes, local will go this way.