The function of lieutenant governor of Quebec is fundamental, declared Wednesday Michel Doyon, who will soon leave his post even if he was ready to stay.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week the appointment of Manon Jeannotte, who will succeed him in January.
This decision was welcomed in Quebec by a unanimous motion in which all parties represented in the National Assembly called for the abolition of this function which represents the Canadian constitutional monarchy.
Leaving his office on Wednesday noon, Mr. Doyon affirmed that elected officials are free to express themselves, but he issued a warning when questioned on this subject by journalists.
“We must not dramatize the whole situation with the lieutenant governors and imagine that they are pariahs,” he declared. That’s not the role of the lieutenant governor. We must understand that the role of the lieutenant governor is to be the representative, to give an image of the State, period. »
Mr. Doyon underlined the importance of the function, recalling that he traveled 70,000 km each year to travel across Quebec, in addition to sanctioning the laws that are adopted in the National Assembly.
“It’s a function that is fundamental, a function that is beautiful,” he said. It is a function that allows the lieutenant governor to go to regions where no one goes. »
Mr. Doyon explained that this function also has its role in the current legal order, in particular for the sanction of laws.
Mr. Doyon succeeded Pierre Duchesne, who had taken the place of Lise Thibault, sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2015 for fraud and breach of trust towards the federal and Quebec governments.
Ready to stay
Appointed in 2015, Mr. Doyon accepts Ottawa’s decision to appoint Mr.me Jeannotte to succeed him. “If I had been asked to stay, I would have stayed,” he nevertheless clarified.
The lieutenant governor admitted that he complied “calmly” with Ottawa’s decision. “We announced it, that’s it, it’s done,” he said. I will leave room for others. »
Mr. Doyon, who was also President of Quebec, explained that his departure will force him to turn a page on the work he has accomplished over the years.
“There’s always a sadness in leaving something, no matter what it is,” he said. When I was president of Quebec and left office, I felt a certain sadness. For what ? Because you have accomplished things for a while. »
Mr. Doyon met his successor, a native of the Micmac Nation of Gespeg. “I told him exactly what needed to be done, to be sober like I was, to behave and give way to the elected officials,” he said.
Mr. Doyon did not attach particular importance to the fact that M.me Jeannotte is indigenous.
“Any person who can serve in the office, whether they’re Indigenous or non-Indigenous, it’s not about race or religion or anything,” he said.
Last year, Mr. Doyon calmly accepted the decision of elected officials to no longer take the oath to the king when they take office.