The observation of Governor General Mary Simon’s inability to express herself in French, three years after her appointment, creates a deep unease among the federal Liberals, who were behind her appointment.
It is The Quebec Journal who made the observation on Tuesday, during the visit of the Governor General who is in the Quebec region for two days. She was unable to hold a conversation in French beyond a simple hello, speaking only in English.
The case has caused a stir in Ottawa and, on Wednesday morning, Mr.me Simon announced that “it is with regret that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, must cancel her visit to Pignon Bleu today,” the community organization that was to host her this Wednesday.
Mary Simon was born in Quebec, in Kangiqsualujjuaq in Nunavik, but speaks only English and Inuktituk. At the time of her appointment in July 2021, she had promised to learn French.
No progress
It is clear that, three years later and despite French lessons, she has not made any real progress in learning the language of Molière.
“I know she’s making an effort and I appreciate her efforts, but after three years, we would like to see a little more progress,” said Nova Scotia Liberal MP Darrell Samson, when asked about this Wednesday morning in the Commons.
Mr. Samson, who is Acadian, added that once appointed, Ms.me Simon “has a responsibility to deliver the goods,” but he did not hesitate to express a clear opinion on the subject: “I believe that the person who is assigned to this seat should be bilingual, absolutely.”
His childhood evoked
Justin Trudeau’s new Quebec lieutenant, Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, acknowledged that the governor general “must demonstrate not only the desire and reality of learning French, (but also) the demonstration that she is increasingly mastering this language.”
However, he sought to excuse this shortcoming, going so far as to attribute intentions to her at the time of her childhood: “We know that she comes from an environment where, despite the fact that she would probably have wanted to learn French in her childhood, she did not learn it for reasons beyond her control and that of her community.”
He dismissed out of hand the idea that she should be removed from her post, recalling that “she is the first indigenous governor general.” […] “She does a lot to bring Canadians together and bring them closer together, including obviously working for reconciliation, for the affirmation of indigenous peoples,” he said.
He did, however, acknowledge, before leaving the press scrum, that “on the question of French, she must continue to make efforts and demonstrate more success.”
Labour Minister Steven McKinnon, for his part, did not want to address the subject, repeating twice that “it is not an issue I have thought about.” He simply added that he has “great respect for the Governor General.”
Sharp blanket
Unsurprisingly, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, was much more blunt, ironizing the fact that “the big boss of everything Canadian who needs an interpreter to walk around Quebec City, that’s already a bit surprising.”
More directly, Mr. Blanchet declared that “she should not have been appointed without being able to speak French. She should have learned French. We understand that she will never learn French,” he fumed, specifying that the real problem is not so much her learning of French, but rather her monarchical function, “an archaism that should be abolished.”
He pledged that the Bloc will continue to call for the abolition of all symbols, practices and powers linked to the British monarchy.