The next Governor General...

[u4ic]

Michaelle Jean will be Canada's next governor general. The official announcement will be made by Prime Minister Paul Martin at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.

"It's obviously a very exciting appointment. Here's someone who's quite young, very dynamic, has a rapport with a lot of younger audience," said Paul Benoit, an expert on the Canadian monarchy.

At just 48 years old, the award winning journalist will become one of the youngest governors general ever, the third woman in the job and the first black person to call Rideau Hall home.


http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/08/03/gg050803.html

[Maple]

1. A very

nice choice!

She'll be a great GG.

[CHIMO]

2. Looks Good

Another CBC GG. And from Haiti.

[Maple]

4. 5 languages

3rd woman, and a black Quebecois...perfect!

[Lisa]

6. I wonder if her US counterpart will try to speak "Mexican" to her (n/t)

[Maple]

9. There is no

US counterpart.

[Lisa]

14. the US president has to perform the head of state role

I just couldn't bring myself to refer to Bush with that title.

[Maple]

15. Heh..but he's just a politician

and therefore temporary. Much to everyone's relief.

[Lisa]

3. neat! I've always liked her CBC work ...

I guess the downside is that she'll be too busy to keep up with her Newsworld post -- and maybe tradition would discourage her from filing her usual reports!

[CanuckAmok]

5. I'd rather the next GG be...

...nobody.

The position is one of the last vestages of colonialism, and a complete waste of taxpayer dollars.

[Maple]

7. It would make more sense

to eliminate the monarchy, and install a GG who represents the 'sovereignty of Canada' rather than the sovereign Elizabeth.

[CHIMO]

8. Perhaps

If we got rid of all government we could save more taxpayers money. And how about public schools. Look at what could be saved. After all not everyone needs to read to survive.

And even simple minds could think up much greater savings if enough time were allocated.

[CanuckAmok]

10. Surely you're not equating the value of an appointed, token sash-model

with that of the education system, or elected representatives...

...are you?

[CHIMO]

11. Why

Do I have to be taxed for educating someone who doesn't need to read to earn a living?

[Maple]

12. The GG is the monarchy,

our head of state, and vital to the parliamentary system. I have no idea what a 'token sash-model' is supposed to be.

[SixStrings]

13. Excuse me?

"and vital to the parliamentary system..."

How vital? If it's this important shouldn't it be an elected person representing all of Canada? How incredibly partisan it is for the current gov't to select such a 'vital' position!

Is this more of that 'democratic deficit' Sir Paul vowed to correct?

And to equate the abolishment of this outrageous, morally repugnant position to the collapse of the public school system is quite the stretch.

[Maple]

16. You're excused

The monarchy is above politics, and therefore makes those decisions necessary as to who forms the govt in a minority situation.

The GG simply represents that monarchy...and no, neither are elected. It's not necessary to elect everything and everyone you know. Next you'll be electing police chiefs and coroners and dogcatchers.

Didn't you study this in school?

[achtung_circus]

17. A little off-topic and sexist,

but Yum.

[jim3775]

18. Can't we just abolish this position already?

And institute proportional representation?

I guess not.

[CanuckAmok]

19. That's treason!

Wouldn't you rather subsidise the extravagent lifestyle of another mediocre public-sector journalist cum statesperson?

[Maple]

20. No, we can't abolish it

and no, it's not treason to talk about it.

[CanuckAmok]

21. Oh, it's *not* treason!

Thanks for clearing that up.

Humourless much?

[Maple]

22. I was unaware

you were joking. I assume you're a monarchist then.

[CanuckAmok]

23. You assume correctly.

Are you fucking nuts?!

Seriously... I think you might be coo-coo for cocoapuffs nutty!

[Maple]

24. I have no idea

what you're talking about...beyond your breakfast cereal.

We have a new GG and she's a good choice....which is the topic here.

No national political party is anti-monarchy

Neither are most Canadians.

I fail to see the problem.

[CanuckAmok]

25. Napoleon called... he wants his hat back. n/t

[Maple]

26. Okay...say hello from me

when you visit him again.

[jim3775]

27. I know we can't abolish it. Jeez no reason to jump down my throat about it

I was just making the point that any official ties to a monarchy are antiquated and unnecessary. And the faux pseudo-monarchy in place right now makes the GG's position even more unnecessary.

Whats so bad about governmental and election reform?

[Maple]

28. ?? Nobody did

I just said we can't abolish it...did you want a smiley with that?

If you abolish the monarchy in Canada...what do you replace it with?

Who would be head of state?

[jim3775]

29. The elected pm

I would rather have an elected leader be head of state instead of one appointed by an elected leader.

[Maple]

30. So in a minority govt situation

or a close finish...who gets to pick which side forms the govt?

Or do we just keep having elections until somebody wins?

[jim3775]

31. Proportional representation with a transferable vote

No one needs to pick sides.

[Maple]

32. We'd have even more of them

a pizza parliament in fact.

The GG might have several candidates to choose from!

[V. Kid]

33. I'm in favour of getting rid of the monarchy too...

...I think it's quaint at best in the 21st century to have a position inhereted from birth like that. Not to mention the fact that the Queen is a foreigner, so I don't think she should be the head of our state. Even though it would take a heck of a lot to replace the Monarchy, probably too much effort to bother with. Although I do think that Michaelle Jean is a great choice for Govenor General. And as a non-fan of Paul Martin I commend him for picking someone as good as her, and instead of simply picking a francophone for the sake of alternation, he picked another person who is a strong example of a success and can highlight the ethnic diversity of our country and the fact that minorities can and do succeed.

As for replacing the Monarchy, I think having a non-elected Govenor General is a good idea. This way they can continue to cut their ribbons, give a few speeches, and decide who can form government in a minority situation but still remain "above the fray". If the position of head of state is combined with head of government, you get a situation like in the US of A where the President (or in our case Prime Minister) would be the embodiment of the state. And therefore can claim, and convince a lot of people too, that "you can't criticize me cause I represent not only the government but the entire state". And if you elect the position, it will ultimately become partisan. And even though the appointment process clearly contains some partisan, or at least connotations of people who are connected being appointed, it's usually sedate and kept relatively classy (for lack of a better word). Just taking a look at the ridiculous antics of our parliamentarians, or worse various Presidents, I wouldn't want that sort of thing extended to the Govenor General (or call it whatever) head of state post.

[Canadian_moderate]

36. How about an elected person?

I don't see any reason why a republic has to be based on the American model.

Modern day monarchies are symbolic and pretty much useless. Why keep a foreign tradition when Canada has moved beyond colonialism?

Time to ERII to last Queen of Canada.

[Bassic]

34. Why can't we abolish it?

It's an obsolete institution and all it reprents for our political system is dead weight.

[Maple]

35. The monarchy?

...and replace it with what?

[Bassic]

37. Why do we need to replace it?

We have a responsible government last I heard.

[Maple]

39. We are a constitutional monarchy

and a parliamentary democracy. That is an entire system of governing, not just a person...you can't remove one section of it, and expect the rest of it to still work.

What happens in the event of a minority govt...or a lost confidence motion right after an election? Does the PM get to decide that he can still be PM? Would he call on the Opposition to form a govt?

Parliament operates under an authority...whose?

A president's or a monarchs?

And in any case, we'd have to change the constitution and have the entire federal govt, plus all the provinces agree to it.

You see that as being likely?

[CanuckAmok]

41. Just because something isn't likely...

...doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Curing cancer isn't likely, but it would be good if it was.

[Maple]

42. Peace on earth is a good idea

wanna bet on when it will happen?

[Canadian_moderate]

43. Responsible to whom?

I would prefer to directly for for the head of state rather than to have the party in power select the GG on a whim.

Regarding the monarchy, I don't think it serves Canada's needs any longer. We need to break free from our colonial past and forge ahead.

If Canada were a republic, it would not mean we would end up with a George W. Bush type head of state. Canadians would never vote (en masse) for such a man. If we are to have a senate, it should be elected rather than appointed. The current system does not provide the necessary checks and balances.

I also feel strongly about proportional representation. 10% of the vote should get a party 10% of the MP's, 20% should get 20% of MPs. This would greatly reduce the influence of regional parties such as the Bloc, which has not real interest in federal issues and Canada.

I know I'm only dreaming and that I'll never see such dramatic changes to Canada's government structure, but everyone has their dreams. ;o)

[Maple]

44. Elections are not a cure-all

and voting is no guarantee of great results.

When you look at some of the dipshits that have been elected over the years, you'll realize that 'the voters' don't have all the answers either.

The Queen is the head of state, not the GG, and we aren't about to have an elected monarchy.

The 'party in power' is put there by the voters though, and we put them there because we think they have the right ideas and policies to run the country. We 'trust' them, in effect, to make the laws that govern everything about our daily lives...from minor stuff to life and death issues. So trusting them to pick a GG is hardly a crisis. They don't pick one 'on a whim'. It involves months of possible choices and vetting, and isn't dependent on candidates for GG running campaigns and doing the BBQ circuit gladhanding everyone.

What would a GG campaign on anyway? The GG must be non-political, and have no platform or agenda. They symbolize the nation, to us and to the world, and are meant to be above politics.

Canada is not a colony, it's no longer even a dominion. It is an independent country. And we got that way without wars...against external or internal foes. Stability has always been a strong point with us.

If Canada were a republic, with an elected senate, we would become part of the US in short order. Thank you, no.

The US has it's own problems...a Dem Senate and a Repub Congress...or vice versa...can produce gridlock. Votes can be changed by offering goodies...vote our way on this measure and we'll see that your district gets....and then the prizes are handed out.

No method of governance is perfect. They all have problems, and while I'm not a monarchist, I prefer this method to others.

I also don't want 20 or 30 different parties in Parliament...that's a pizza parliament and nothing would get done.

Govt's need to act quickly on occasion, and that's no time for long drawn-out discussions searching for concensus, and horse-trading all the while.

At the moment, if you don't like the govt, you can vote it out within 4 years or less.

Parliament, while not perfect, has worked well in the UK for centuries. You can see on here how difficult it is to run a republic.

[V. Kid]

38. Because...

...it will take almost unanimous conscent to get rid of it. So even if say 20% of the population still supported the monarchy, there'd probably be enough elected officials who did too, and therefore it'd be impossible to get rid of the thing.

[CHIMO]

40. Buckingham Palace press releases

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEW GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA

4 August 2005
THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN

The Queen, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada, has been pleased to approve the appointment of Ms Michaëlle Jean as the next Governor General of Canada.

Ms Jean will serve in succession to the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson and will assume office on 27 September 2005.

Background
Michaëlle Jean was born in Port au Prince, Haiti. As a young child in 1968, she had to leave her country with her family and subsequently settled in Canada.

Ms Jean received a Bachelor of Arts in Italian and Hispanic languages and literature, and continued her studies towards a Master of Arts in comparative literature from the University of Montreal. From 1984 to 1986, she taught at the Faculty of Italian Studies of the same university, as well as undertaking research at the University of Perouse, the University of Florence and the Catholic University of Milan. She is fluent in five languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish and Creole.

Michaëlle Jean also worked for eight years from 1979 to 1987 with Québec shelters for battered women, taking in and supporting women and children in crisis, while actively contributing to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout Québec and elsewhere in Canada. She was also involved in aid organisations for immigrant women and families.
For the past 18 years, Ms Jean has been a well-known and highly regarded journalist, anchor and host of information programmes on Radio-Canada and CBC Newsworld. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to Canadian broadcasting and journalism.

Michaëlle Jean is married to Jean-Daniel Lafond, a former professor of philosophy, a film critic, a specialist in the audio-visual field, a documentary film maker, and a writer. They have a daughter, Marie-Eden, who is six years old. Michaëlle Jean's family also includes Mr. Lafond's two daughters from a previous marriage and his two grandchildren.

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4371.asp

Well I guess we still need the formal "We".