Should Canada’s next governor general be Indigenous?

It could be a symbol of reconciliation — or an impossible burden

The resignation this week of Canada’s governor general under a cloud of scandal has revived a debate: Should the next person to take the role be Indigenous?

While some say installing an Indigenous governor general would be a symbolic milestone, others worry that doing so could potentially paper over ongoing battles between First Nations and the state.

It’s a debate that raises questions not only about who should serve in the role but whether it is time one of the oldest jobs in the history of Canadian settlement returns to its roots — a time when it was more than ceremonial.

“I’m conflicted about it,” says Sara Mainville, a former chief of Couchiching First Nation and current partner at Olthuis Kleer Townshend, a law firm in Toronto.

On the one hand, the job comes with a huge platform for advocacy, which could be used to shine a spotlight on First Nation cultures and history. On the other, having an Indigenous figurehead would grant the government a symbolic win for reconciliation — the same government that continues to battle a court order to compensate First Nations children affected by the on-reserve child-welfare system.

“I think the symbolism that an Indigenous governor general would have at this moment in time would misinform other countries about Canada,” she said.

“I think that would give you a false sense that Indigenous Peoples are at a place where we definitely are not.”

Installing one of this land’s first peoples has been occasionally floated as a potential win for a government that has stated its commitment to First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

Before Julie Payette was named to the role in 2017, several Indigenous MPs voiced support for what now-Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal told the Hill Times would be a “real act of reconciliation with the highest levels.”

The role of the governor general, who acts as the Queen’s representative in Canada, is largely ceremonial. Their responsibilities include promoting a sense of national identity, recognizing achievements of Canadians and receiving foreign dignitaries. They also have parliamentary duties, including reading the Speech from the Throne, which outlines the government’s agenda, giving royal assent to bills passed by Parliament to make them law, and summoning and dissolving Parliament.

After Payette resigned, Manitoba Grand Chief Arlen Dumas released a statement arguing that the selection of a First Nation candidate this time “would send a strong message to the Treaty Nations that this government is sincere about its rhetoric on reconciliation and that there is no relation more important to the Prime Minister than the one with Indigenous peoples.”

“There have been multiple Indigenous territorial commissioners or lieutenant governors, but we have yet to have an Indigenous governor general. It’s time,” said Ry Moran, founding director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba and member of the Red River Métis.

He notes the appointment of an Indigenous governor general “cannot be seen as the end of the journey and everything’s fixed.”

That said, the symbolic power of having an Indigenous person fill the role of governor general cannot be underestimated, some say.

“When you walk into many — actually all — institutions in Canada, oftentimes we’ll see a list of photos on the wall of people who have occupied the head role or the lead role in that organization. The governor general’s office, the lieutenant governor’s office, presidents of universities, leaders of major corporations. Those walls often capture a profound lack of diversity and oftentimes we see the history of colonization, of patriarchy, of whiteness reflected on those walls. We have to change that,” he said.

“The question we have to ask ourselves is: One hundred years from now, when some young child is touring Rideau Hall and looking at the wall of governors general and photographs, what do they see? I would hope there’s an incredible diversity and richness of cultures, backgrounds, heritage, genders represented on that wall.”

The office of the governor general is the oldest public office in Canada — in fact, as an institution, it’s older than the country itself, with the first Crown-appointed governors dating back to the French colony of the 16th century, says Nathan Tidridge, the vice-president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada at Massey College.

Initially, governors general had an important diplomatic relationship with Indigenous people. As representatives of the Crown, they and lieutenant governors were often the face of the first treaties — the nationto-nation agreements that were designed to govern the relationships between First Peoples and settlers.

Over the years, these viceregal representatives were responsible for maintaining strong relationships with Indigenous people, who in turn, used them as conduits to get messages to government.

This connection began to fray once Canada was created, Tidridge said, as the once critical relationship with Indigenous Peoples was no longer beneficial to the growing colonial state. The governor general position began an evolution into its current, more ceremonial role, but that doesn’t mean the history has been forgotten.

“There’s a long tradition here,” Tidridge said. “Indigenous people haven’t forgotten the role of the Crown in all of this. It’s the non-Indigenous people that have, and I think that was a deliberate move, once Confederation happens.”

For this reason, some question the wisdom of putting the burden of being the Crown’s representative — the weight of that colonial history — on an Indigenous person.

“By having an Indigenous person step into the role, you’re asking Indigenous people to clean up the mess created by colonialism.”

For some, having an Indigenous person step in as governor general muddies the nation-tonation relationship.

“The treaties were made with the Crown and First Nations. Putting yourself in the Crown’s role would basically be compromising your treaty rights as an individual.

“You’d have to leave the other side. Your expectations would be conflicted,” says Sheila North, former grand chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi

Okimakanak.

Some observers say it’s time to adapt to a modern world.

Tidridge has submitted a series of recommendations to the federal government that would reform the governor general’s role in a way he said would begin to rebuild the office’s history with Indigenous groups. The recommendations, which he said were created in consultation with Indigenous groups, include making sure Indigenous leaders have “unimpeded access” to the Queen and her representatives, and add “honouring the kinship relationships between the Crown and Indigenous People” to the list of official duties.

At a time when the governor general is often dismissed as being purely symbolic, Mainville said she’d like to see a renewed focus on the relationship — which still means something to many Indigenous people.

“It’s not just symbolism, I think it’s this idea of respect. We show that in our families, we show that in our relationships with other people, you just show certain people a little bit more respect,” she said.

For some, having an Indigenous person step in as governor general muddies nation-to-nation relationship