If Payette quits, she’s set for life
Would receive $143,242 a year, briefing note says
Julie Payette is said to be unhappy with her role as governor general, but she can have no complaints about the pay and perquisites that come with the office.
An overview of benefits and personal considerations provided to Payette by the Privy Council Office just before her appointment in July 2017, shows that she earns an index-linked salary of $290,600. In addition, she enjoys two official residences, meals, chauffeurdriven transport, health and life insurance plans, and has her housekeeping and laundry done for her.
Pretty standard stuff for a governor general perhaps. What is more likely to raise eyebrows in the briefing note, obtained under Access to Information legislation by researcher Ken Rubin, is the revelation that upon leaving office the governor general will receive a taxable annuity of $143,242 a year for life — an amount that will be adjusted according to the cost of living index. That may be par for the course for previous governors general. What is not typical is that Payette is only 54-years-old — considerably younger than most of her predecessors — and is rumoured to be sick of the gilded cage of Rideau Hall.
As Ottawa Citizen columnist Andrew Cohen wrote Tuesday, a premature resignation would be unprecedented — embarrassing to Payette but even more so to the Liberal government that appointed her.
Cohen refers to an “insider” who told him the Governor General is actively “negotiating the terms of her departure.”
No wonder there are whispers wafting around the halls of Centre Block that suggest the Liberals have created the role of global ambassador for women, peace and security specifically to give Payette some suitably high profile work to do and, more importantly, spare them the spectacle of her retiring on a lifetime annuity at taxpayers’ expense after a year in the job. For the record, the Prime Minister’s Office denied Payette is being considered for the global ambassador position.
But something has to give here — a point Payette appears to have acknowledged, given her sudden appearance touring the damage in the aftermath of the tornado in Dunrobin, Ont.
The response to the stories in the National Post has not been a collective leap to the defence of the Governor General. She has not built up the stock of goodwill necessary to weather such storms. On the contrary, the negative publicity has raised more allegations about the Queen’s representative dialing back on her commitments, despite her generous compensation package.
One person who nominated an Indigenous Quebec man with 60 years service to his community for a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers said she was told that the presentation by the Governor General was cancelled and that the medal would be awarded by the local mayor. In the event, the medal arrived by mail, to the chagrin of all concerned.
It appears Payette did hand out 41 medals for exceptional volunteer achievements last April, but local mayors like Ottawa’s Jim Watson also presented medals to recipients “on behalf of the Governor General of Canada” in the same month. Rideau Hall says recipients often receive their medals from “trusted partners.” But this seems to be another example of Payette redefining a role that goes to the very heart of the institution — recognizing community service by dedicated, devoted and inspirational people.
In her choice of motto “Per Aspera Ad Astra” (Through Hardship to the Stars), Payette signalled her intention to make space and science a theme for her mandate. As a former astronaut, it made perfect sense; an opportunity to carve out a fresh identity in the public’s imagination.
But this is an institution designed to resist too much change. This is as it should be, since it is the very foundation of our democracy, ensuring the country has a prime minister, and arbitrating if the matter is in doubt.
Her predecessor, David Johnston, understood that the job was about the office, not him. He made incremental changes, expanding the role in the areas of philanthropy and volunteerism.
That made perfect sense too — and for all those people doing exceptional unpaid work in their communities, being awarded a medal by the governor general was a fitting reward. Receiving that medal in the mail doesn’t have quite the same kudos.
In her installation speech, Payette said achievement depended on “letting go of the personal agenda to reach a higher goal.”
If she has aspirations to see out her mandate, she should live up to those words.