(Quebec) Mi’kmaq administrator and former leader Manon Jeannotte was sworn in on Thursday as 30e lieutenant governor in the history of Quebec.
She is the second woman, and the first person of indigenous origin, to hold this position.
When appointing her to this position on December 7, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, thanked her for having “dedicated her career to increasing the well-being of indigenous peoples.”
Mme Jeannotte was until recently director of the School of First Nations Leaders (EDPN) at HEC Montréal, of which she was co-initiator.
Trained in administration, she was also part of the Micmac Nation Council of Gespeg, near Gaspé, for several years. She was notably head of the Nation.
Manon Jeannotte was sworn in in Quebec on Thursday, in the presence of Prime Minister François Legault, during a ceremony that she wanted to be sober. She replaces J. Michel Doyon, who has held these functions since 2015.
“The pride of many Indigenous people in my appointment to this position is very palpable, as is the pride of many Quebecers. I received hundreds of positive messages,” she said.
“By assuming this role, I am committed to being a representative voice for all Quebecers by promoting mutual understanding and working for the well-being of our society,” she added.
Motion from the National Assembly: “I expect […] to respect »
The lieutenant governor is the representative of King Charles III in Quebec.
It is she who is called upon to dissolve Parliament, at the request of the government, to trigger elections, and to sanction the bills so that they officially come into force.
Following the appointment of Mr.me Jeannotte, the National Assembly voted unanimously for the abolition of this function which had essentially become symbolic.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Solidarity Quebec MP Sol Zanetti
“The function of lieutenant governor has no democratic legitimacy,” we can read in the motion which was tabled by deputy Sol Zanetti, of Québec solidaire.
“Its origins remind us of a colonial period in our history which no longer has any anchor in modern Quebec. » The wording also highlights the “weak attachment” of Quebecers to monarchical institutions.
Parliament has said it wants this function to be replaced by a democratic institution.
In his speech on Thursday, Mr.me Jeannotte tackled the subject head on. She said she understood the motion, but without sharing her conclusions.
“The Crown represents one of the colonizers of the first peoples of this continent. As an Aboriginal person, I should be the very first to want its abolition. However, this is not the case,” she said.
“Like the majority of indigenous peoples in Canada, I agreed to work with the system in place, namely the system of constitutional monarchy, of which Quebec is an integral part.
“This process of acceptance is precisely part of reconciliation,” she added.
The motion sends a “clear message” that it does not take it “in any way personally.”
“I respect differences of opinion,” she said. I will always act with respect for the different parties sitting in the National Assembly and I expect in return the same welcome […] and with the same respect. »