Mary Simon will be ‘gracious, firm, kind’
“I would like to express my sincere appreciation and thank everyone for all your well wishes and kind words and support for my appointment as the new Governor General for Canada.
“Nakurmiimarialuk ilunnasie allaqatatusie uvanut tillijaunirilauqtara pitjutrilugu Prime Minister Trudeaumut.” — Mary Simon, July 8, 2021 (via Facebook)
The news about the impending investiture of the 30th Governor General of Canada was astounding for me as it was for many others, I am sure. I distinctly remember saying — out loud — when the previous Governor General blotted her copybook and bowed out, that “they” should pick Mary Simon.
Like many are saying these days, I met Mary long ago. She was in Inuvik for the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. Her husband, Whit Fraser, our longtime family friend, was with her.
I have read about Mary’s quiet feats of negotiation and diplomacy for years. Anyone who has spent time in Northern
Canada knows of her career. And they know her husband’s CBC career. They are what would be called today a “power couple.”
They are, however, an unassuming couple you would love to invite to your party. (This is my gauge of people — if I would like them in my home or in the backyard for a party, then they must be alright.)
Actually, Whit has been in our backyard, and he has slept in our guest room. He was here in June 2019 as a speaker at our Ernest Buckler Literary Event Society — Reading Where We Live event. He was a big hit. He told stories about the North and quoted from his book True North Rising. The audience was enthralled, and I don’t use that word lightly.
So here we are in 2021 and we are going to have an Inuk lady as a Governor General.
There are some who say we should be doing away with this office and cutting our ties with the British monarchy. If that happens, let it not be before Mary May Simon has put in her five years and helped with the reconciliation process that absolutely needs to happen in our country. She will be a gracious, firm and kind leader who will help us through the next rocky times.
In this time of COVID, this announcement was a ray of hope.
I have heard others say the same thing. I cannot think of a better person for this job. And with Whit living in Rideau Hall, there will be laughter and twinkling eyes. What a combo!
P.S. People in Annapolis Royal may now have an idea of what it’s been like for all those Indigenous communities in Canada who have either had no water or have had to boil their water for years and years.