Governor General David Johnston: a proud Canadian, stick-handling through politics

OTTAWA – Gov. Gen. David Johnston doesn’t want to talk about politics.

He breezes in to the small drawing room at Rideau Hall, disposition as sunny as the sunlight streaming in through tall white windows onto marigold walls.

The modest space, by official residency standards – reportedly the Queen’s favourite – overlooks a snowy upper terrace, where Johnston has recently been snowshoeing with his “No. 10” grandchild.

“I grew up in Sault-Ste. Marie where you learn to skate before you learn to walk,” the 72-year-old former Harvard University hockey captain says, as he settles into a white chair covered in cursive crimson flowers.

A little more than three years into his five-year term, Johnston – all squinty smiles and clasped hands – clearly relishes his role as the Queen’s representative in Canada.

“I’ve always felt that this is a very special country,” he says, recalling a recent visit to a palliative care hospital in Montreal.

“I never realized how good it was until my wife (Sharon) and I have had the chance to visit so many different communities and see so many good people.”

Johnston happily recites his five fundamental duties including: swearing in cabinet ministers and “signing an awful lot of documents”; acting as the military’s Commander-in-Chief; travelling (27 countries and counting) and receiving foreign heads of state; handing out honours; and in the broadest of terms, reinforcing Canadian values, such as being a smart and caring nation.

He’s less interested, however, in making statements about it.

“The interesting thing about the position,” he says, re-positioning himself in his seat, “is that it is not involved in politics.”

“That’s the beauty of our Parliamentary system. It’s evolved over a thousand years and there is a separation of responsibilities, as there should be, because elected governments carry out the politics of the nation, they collect taxes from people, they decide how they’ll allocate those taxes, and that’s a set of political considerations.”

So what does he think about that other unelected body – the Senate – and the question of its future now being studied by the Supreme Court?

“The question you put is a political question so I don’t have an answer,” he says.

But he continues.

“Of course I’m interested. I read incessantly, and I love this country. So any ideas about it are things that I consume and devour.”

The Diamond Jubilee, the Senate, and Hockey Night in Canada

For the first time, Johnston acknowledges the “controversy” surrounding the Diamond Jubilee medals.

The medals were awarded to 60,000 Canadians by dozens of organizations – including provincial governments, community and political groups, and MPs and Senators – to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne.

But the awards were also handed out to political figures, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s wife Laureen, along with top aides in the prime minister’s office, and the NDP’s principal secretary.

An Ottawa businessman whose company loaned Mac Harb $55,000 also received a medal, and Tory MP Maurice Vellacott nominated an anti-abortion activist who was in jail at the time.

“There were a few cases, that were ones that led to some controversy and interest,” says Johnston.

“My take on it, is that when you have 60,000 and 99.9 per cent go to people who really have done important things in their communities and you have perhaps a half a dozen or so that raise some questions, it’s a pretty good record of using an occasion like that to reinforce the notions of duty, honour, service.”

Johnston says there may be another commemorative medal handed out on in the next couple of years if the Queen becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history, or in honour of Canada’s 150^th birthday in 2017.

He said in the future, it’s possible a list of who receives such medals will be made public as they are handed out, instead of at the end, as well as who is awarding them.

Johnston prefers to proceed by the book.

When asked about granting Harper’s request to prorogue Parliament for a month in September, Johnston assures it is a long-standing process in the Parliamentary system.

“It would only be in the exceptional circumstances that it would raise some question of controversy, as was the case when the government may have been facing a vote of non-confidence in the House,” he says, referring to Michaelle Jean’s private meeting with Harper in 2008.

“That’s quite rare.”

He won’t weigh in on questions or concerns about the Senate’s independence – in light of recent RCMP revelations about attempting tampering of a Deloitte audit.

Instead, Johnston hints only at the possibility of adaptation.

“What I can say about our Westminster system is it’s evolved over a thousand years. It’s not perfect, and that’s why you evolve it for different circumstances,” he says.

“We, in fact, had upper houses – second chambers – I think in all of the provinces at one time in our history.”

He keeps his professional relationships air-tight: with the prime minister, whom he meets with regularly (“Things carry on in quite a sensible fashion”) and the Queen (“She’s a person of great dignity, great wisdom, and in person is very witty, very warm and very down to earth.”)

He enjoys watching hockey replays on TV, but won’t even say if he’s a Don Cherry fan.

“I’m delighted to see that hockey is celebrated, so that there’s a good competition for who wants to televise it,” he says, when asked about the recent $5.2 billion Rogers deal to broadcast NHL games.

“Let market conditions prevail, and be sure whoever can produce the best broadcast directed to the largest number of people at the least cost, be the winner.”

And with that, Johnston is up, off to meet some 45 soldiers who are visiting Ottawa.

“To use a hockey term, I stick-handled carefully one or two of your questions,” he chuckles, as he heads for the door.

“Thanks for coming by. Bring your snowshoes or cross-country skis next time, and we’ll have a go.”