Simon begins tour of Nunavik; asks Canadians to work together
‘There needs to be a lot more work done’ on reconciliation
KUUJJUAQ, QUE. Mary Simon faced some tough questions in three languages Monday from students at the Jaanimmarik School in Kuujjuaq, a community in northern Quebec.
They asked about her favourite memories growing up in Nunavik (fishing, hunting and being on the land with her family), what she had to do to become Governor General (work hard), and what made her accept the position as the Queen’s representative in Canada.
To that, Simon said she hopes to use the non-political office to encourage Canadians to work together.
“We call it reconciliation right now,” she said. “Because there needs to be a lot more work done between Indigenous people and other Canadians.”
She said equality in education is part of that work.
The elementary-to-secondary school has about 350 students and classes are offered in English, French and Inuktitut.
“I used to go to school right next to this big school. We had a one-classroom school next door,” Simon told the children.
She and her siblings went to federal day school in Kuujjuaq, then called Fort Chimo. She was homeschooled by her father after Grade 6.
Simon was born near Kangiqsualujjuaq, an Inuit village in Nunavik, in 1947. Her mother Nancy May, whose family surname was Angnatuk-Askew, was Inuk and her father, Bob Mardon May, had moved to the Arctic to work for the Hudson’s Bay Co. and stayed.
Simon only spoke Inuktitut as a child and had to learn English when she got to school.
Her appointment as Governor General in July 2021 sparked anger among some francophones, because she isn’t fluent in French. More than 1,000 complaints were sent to the official languages watchdog, who launched an investigation.
The CBC reported in March that the investigation, which examined the nomination process followed by the Privy Council Office, found it did not break any federal government rules about bilingualism.
Simon has said she didn’t have an opportunity to learn French growing up in Nunavik, and has committed to learning while on the job. Quebec Premier François Legault told media after meeting Simon last week that she still has some work to do.
Simon made self-deprecating comments about her French proficiency several times on Monday.
“I tried my best to speak French, I’m still not quite there yet, but he did say to the media that I need to improve my French,” she said with a chuckle.