What’s really the job of the governor general?
SOME SURPRISES MAY AWAIT PAYETTE
On Monday, retired astronaut Julie Payette will be officially installed as governor general. The position is nominally the country’s most powerful government office. Tristin Hopper takes a look at what the job really involves.
THE ADJUSTMENT PERIOD CAN BE PAINFUL
Governors general never fully suspect the sheer tonnage of protocol that they’ve signed up for: When to salute, who to invite to state dinners, how to avoid accidentally offending diplomats. Did you hold the Queen’s hand to help her descend a set of s t airs, as David Johnston did in July? Well, your “Queentouching” just accidentally sparked an international incident. Richard Berthelsen has been an adviser to governors general since 1978, and he said potential recruits are never truly warned of the labyrinth they’re entering. “They’re quite surprised when they discover how constrained they are,” he told the National Post. “Nobody is born to be governor general.”
IT’S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO BE FIRED
Once s he’s in Rideau Hall, the only way Payette can lose her job is if Queen Elizabeth II takes the unprecedented step of “recalling” her. Payette would likely have to out- scandal Rob Ford in order to prompt a pink slip from London. Australian governors gen- eral have tested the limits of royal patience more than anyone here. In the 1970s, Australian Governor General Sir John Kerr impulsively fired the prime minister of a majority government and then gave a noticeably drunk speech at a horse race. He kept his job.
YOU’RE NOW THE COMMANDER- IN- CHIEF
Although Michaëlle Jean tried to claim otherwise, the governor general is not Canada’s head of state. However, she could claim a much more impressive title: Commander- in- Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces.
PEOPLE CALL YOU “YOUR EXCELLENCY”
On official documents, the new governor general will be identified as “Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada.” After the next election, whoever wins the most seats will ask Her Excellency to form a government. And when foreign ambassadors present their credentials, they will similarly request Her Excellency’s grace. Privately, governors general vary in how uptight they are about the moniker.
SIGNING BILLS INTO LAW IS A VERY SMALL PART OF THE GIG
The most well- known duty of the governor general is as an agent of “royal assent.” With a mere stroke of their pen, they turn mere bills into law. However, the vast majority of the governor general’s signing time is expended on orders- incouncil, the executive orders that control the day- to- day running of Canada. “They might sign 25 bills a year, but they’re signing 3,000 to 4,000 orders- in- council,” said Berthelsen.
WHEN YOU RETIRE, YOU GET TO BILL EXPENSES
Retired governors general get to invoice the government for absolutely anything related to their former job, be it answering letters, reviewing speaking invitations or granting media interviews. This perk was largely ignored until Adrienne Clarkson, who ran up a $ 500,000 tab for administrative expenses in the five years after she left Rideau Hall.
PREPARE TO MEET A LOT OF ICKY PEOPLE
David Johnston was taki ng smiling photos with Chinese president Xi Jinping on the same day that pro- democracy activist Liu Xiaobo died in Chinese custody. Johnston met with leaders of the Palestinian Authority just as they were threatening a third intifada against Israel. He was at the funeral of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah. Whatever feelings Johnston may have about these visits, his job is to keep his mouth shut. It’s why, when CBC asked Johnston about the monstrous human rights record of Saudi Arabia, he had to clench his teeth and say “certainly the human rights issue, or issues, is a matter of concern … but like so many jurisdictions in the world, they develop in different ways at their own pace.”
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE FRIENDS WITH THE PRIME MINISTER
It’s a long- standing tradition for the British prime minister to hold regular têteà- têtes with their monarch. No such precedent exists in Canada, and if Justin Trudeau wanted to, he could technically spend the rest of his career never directly addressing Julie Payette. However, Justin Trudeau’s dad, for instance, felt it necessary to dial up Roland Michener in 1970 in order to explain why he was waking him up to authorize the War Measures Act. However, prime ministers and governors general might become best friends anyway. Royal historian Carolyn Harris told the National Post that Sir John A. Macdonald and Lord Dufferin were so close that Macdonald became godfather to the governor general’s son.
THERE’S ALMOST NO CONTACT WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM
In the beginning, governors general were hired by London, reported to London and were even considered foreign diplomats by Canadian authorities. Nowadays, the position has devolved so thoroughly that — barring royal visits — the “Mother Country” is now given about as much attention as any other major foreign ally. Still, if the governor general wants to be old-fashioned, they can decide to draft the traditional annual letter to the Queen informing her that everything in Canada is fine. Reportedly, David Johnston has been particularly diligent with these.