HISTORIC DEPARTURE FOR GG
Payette out amid scathing report
In a move without precedent in Canadian history, Governor General Julie Payette has resigned following a review into allegations she created a toxic, verbally abusive workplace at Rideau Hall.
Payette and the Secretary to the Governor General, Assunta di Lorenzo, were both alleged to have been verbally abusive toward Rideau Hall staff, belittling them and sometimes leaving them in tears. Di Lorenzo, a longtime friend of Payette's, also resigned on Thursday.
“Everyone has a right to a healthy and safe work environment, at all times and under all circumstances,” said a statement from Payette. “It appears this was not always the case at the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. Tensions have arisen at Rideau Hall over the past few months and for that, I am sorry.”
Payette said “it is with sureness and humility, but also with pride over what was accomplished during my tenure as Governor General and in my service to the country for the past 28 years, that I have submitted my resignation.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Payette in person on Wednesday. A source with close knowledge of the situation said Trudeau had requested Payette's resignation during the conversation. Payette submitted it the following day.
A short statement from Trudeau on Thursday said Payette “has fulfilled her duties to uphold parliamentary democracy and serve the public.”
“Every employee in the Government of Canada has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, and we will always take this very seriously,” Trudeau's statement said. “Today's announcement provides an opportunity for new leadership at Rideau Hall to address the workplace concerns raised by employees during the review.”
Trudeau said a replacement for Payette will be announced “in due course.” In the meantime, Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner will fulfil the Governor General's duties.
PRINCE HARRY
In the long-ago days of the British Empire, overseas Governor Generalships were an excellent place to exile upstart children of the sovereign, and it's frankly a convention that needs to be rebooted. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are clearly tired of the stuffy lives of London royals, but they do seem to like living in luxury while doing very little actual work. This job is honestly tailor-made for them.
JODY WILSONRAYBOULD
Wilson-raybould would be an excellent choice. She's trained in law, will clearly value principle over politics in difficult decisions, and her Indigenous background makes her a powerful symbolic choice as the representative of the Crown. Trudeau would never, ever recommend her for the post, of course, but it would be fun to hear him explain why.
KIM CAMPBELL
She's available! While
Campbell was a Progressive Conservative prime minister for a brief period when Jurassic Park was in theatres, her Twitter account has lately made it eminently clear that she doesn't seem to retain all that many Tory sentiments. So, the Liberals would get to look like they're picking a non-liberal partisan even though they aren't really.
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER
Regal bearing? Check. Great-grandson of a prime minister? Check. Has a track record of being parachuted in as an 11th hour replacement for scandal-ridden predecessors? Checkmate. At age 91, Plummer doesn't belong in the Ferrari-driving, Botoxed world of Hollywood. He deserves to be at home in the Great White North; warm and comfortable in the slightly medicinal-smelling halls of the Governor General's residence.
TAREQ HADHAD
A former medical student in Syria, Hadhad came to Canada as a refugee, settled in small-town Nova Scotia and founded the high-minded confectionary Peace by
Chocolate. Trudeau's wildest fever dream could admittedly not concoct a more cinematically appropriate Governor General. Hadhad would also restore some much-needed facial hair to the role.
THE GREAT ONE
Well, we know Wayne Gretzky is looking for a new place to live. Gretzky is remarkably well-practised at one of the most important parts of being a Governor General: Smiling and standing where your handlers tell you to stand. The same man who has spent 40 years feigning interest next to chocolate bars, breakfast cereal and cheap beer could easily do the same next to the Deputy Ambassador of Estonia.
ONE OF THE OLD GOVERNORS GENERAL
Retired governors general sort of have a bad habit of billing their former employer into oblivion. Adrienne Clarkson, for one, still hits up the Canadian taxpayer for up to $100,000 a year in office expenses. So why not put her back to work?
A CHINESE SPY
Let's just say that Canada doesn't have the best reputation of late at standing up to the People's Republic of China. So, we might as well just own it and put an agent for Beijing in the job. Cameron Ortis, a former RCMP intelligence officer arrested for allegedly turning over secrets to China, is already in custody, so moving him to Rideau Hall could be framed as a lateral move.
A TORN-DOWN STATUE OF JOHN A. MACDONALD
A controversial choice, to be clear, but Canada has a long political tradition of getting rid of inconvenient figures via patronage appointments. So, by consigning Macdonald's brass visage to the murky depths of Governor Generaldom, opponents no longer have to see him looming over their civic parks, and supporters can take solace that the appointment is technically an honour. It's a win-win, really.
MARGARET ATWOOD'S ROBOT PEN
Canada could do well to automate a job whose core responsibilities involve signing things the prime minister gives them. In 2006, author Margaret Atwood invented the Longpen, a robotic pen that would allow her to attend book signings remotely. There's no reason it couldn't also be programmed as a purveyor of royal assent.