Governor General’s patronage reviewed

OTTAWA — Rideau Hall is conducting a sweeping review of all the events and organizations the Governor General has supported, in some cases for decades, to determine which will remain tied to the Crown’s representative in Canada and what form that connection may take.

Among those events are ones involving groups that have the patronage of the Governor General.

Groups usually reapply for patronage when a new Governor General takes office and wait a few months for approval.

But approvals have taken longer than normal since Gov. Gen. Julie Payette took office, and several historically backed organizations are still waiting for decisions.

Events that the Governor General has hosted at Rideau Hall in the past, including a prestigious journalism award created by a former viceregal, have also been left in planning limbo as Rideau Hall determines which events will stay on the agenda, which will go and which will be done differently.

Sources connected to Rideau Hall, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there are growing concerns that the delays hint at larger issues at Rideau Hall that go beyond the normal hiccups associated with a change of office-holder and the arrival of many new staffers, including Payette’s top aide.

Briefing material provided to Payette over the summer when she was tabbed as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s choice for Rideau Hall hinted at the blistering schedule maintained by the viceregal and the 150-strong support staff at Rideau Hall.

A typical year involves more than 500 events, visits to dozens of communities, trips abroad for diplomatic reasons and to visit troops as Canada’s commanderin-chief, and signing off on 10,000 honours as well as thousands of government decisions and legislation.

The schedule traditionally includes a gala for the Michener Award for public service journalism created in 1970 by then-governor general Roland Michener. The foundation behind the award typically starts planning with Rideau Hall in late April, announces the nominees and award date around now and then hands out the award in early June.

But the review has left planning in limbo. In a statement announcing fellowship winners, the foundation said this week that the award winner “will be announced during at ceremony held at a later time.”

Foundation president Alan Allnutt said organizers aren’t panicking about the delay yet.

There are still a couple of weeks before organizers will have to consider backup plans, and Allnutt said longtime members of the foundation recall similar delays happening in the past.