Mark Carney to Name Mary Simon Successor on Tuesday
Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce on Tuesday who will replace mary simon as Canada’s next governor general, two sources close to the government said. Simon’s term ends this summer, closing a five-year tenure that began in July 2021.
The announcement will identify the person who becomes Canada’s federal representative of the monarch for the next five-year term. Carney said last month in an interview with Radio-Canada that Simon’s replacement will speak both official languages.
Mary Simon and the bilingual test
Simon became the first Indigenous person to take the role in July 2021. She said in CTV Question Period in September 2024 that her lack of French language proficiency did not hinder her ability to represent Canadians, a comment that followed criticism over her language ability.
Simon is bilingual and fluent in Inuktitut and English. Since Vincent Massey in 1952, all governors general have spoken both English and French, a standard that has shaped expectations around the office for decades.
Canada’s governor general appointment
Governors general are appointed for five-year terms. Simon’s predecessor was Canada’s ambassador to Denmark from 1999 to 2002, spent six years as chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and was one of nine members of the Nunavut Implementation Commission, which helped navigate the division of the Northwest Territories to create Nunavut.
Simon is from Nunavik and attended a federal government day school. Her successor will inherit an office defined by the monarch’s federal representation and by the language standard Carney said will guide the appointment.
Tuesday’s announcement
The Tuesday announcement is the point at which Carney will set the next holder of the office, and it will put a name to a role that has been held by Simon since July 2021. For readers watching the transition, the practical answer comes down to who Carney chooses and how that choice fits the bilingual expectation he has already described.
