How to be Canada’s GG

OTTAWA – Calling all Canadians seeking employment: government position available. Must be a Canadian citizen – but not necessarily Canadian-born. Bilingualism an asset.

With Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean’s announcement last Thursday that she will leave office when her five-year term comes to an end in September, there’s a vacancy at Rideau Hall.

A flurry of media speculation has pointed to who her successor may be. Potential contenders include Man-in-Motion Rick Hansen, Inuit leader Mary Simon, Reform party founder Preston Manning and former chiefs of defence staff Rick Hillier and John de Chastelain.

While media are leading the guessing game, the decision ultimately lies with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

But what exactly does a Governor General do? Could you be next in line?

The Prime Minister’s Office has refused to comment on the criteria Harper will use in choosing the next Governor General, but Barbara Messamore, author of Canada’s Governors General, said contenders need to be bilingual, strong public speakers and “above partisan politics.”

“That sounds terribly elitist, but it’s true,” she said. “They’re not supposed to have any partisan taint.”

And then there are other “intangible” qualities used to select a Governor General, Messamore said. “It has to be someone with that quality you can’t quantify: the grace, intelligence and understanding of the system.”

Jonathan Malloy, a political-science professor at Ottawa’s Carleton University, said the position “requires a certain maturity and gravitas.” He added that “charisma” has recently become an important trait.

“Under Michaelle Jean and Adrienne Clarkson, the Governor General has had a lot more star power,” he said.

Malloy also pointed out both were women born outside Canada and visible minorities – qualities that appeal to Canada’s multiculturally diverse population.

Messamore has also noticed a recent trend toward younger contenders, as past governors general tended to be at retirement age. Being younger also helps them put up with “this workhorse schedule of touring and being quite visible (in the public eye),” she said.

Before Clarkson and Jean, governors general were mostly former politicians, another possibly desirable trait.

However, Malloy said that the prime minister could also abandon the practice of appointing former politicians as a way of signalling the office is no longer “a prize the governing party gives to one of its own.”

The Governor General is the Queen of England’s representative in Canada. The role, by today’s standards, is largely ceremonial.

Most of the government’s activities are performed in the Governor General’s name, said Malloy, including “cabinet appointments, the throne speech, and giving royal assent to every piece of legislation coming out of Parliament.”

But there are a few key reserve powers a Governor General still holds that have the ability to cause major upset in Parliament: the ability to dismiss a prime minister; to dissolve Parliament; and to delay or refuse royal assent on legislation.

There has only been one incident in Canadian history of a Governor General refusing a prime minister’s request – the so-called “King-Byng Crisis” of 1926.

Fearing he faced defeat in the House of Commons, Liberal Prime Minister Mackenzie King asked Gov. Gen. Lord Byng to dissolve Parliament and call another election. Byng refused his request, arguing there had been an election only eight months earlier.

Denouncing Byng as a symbol of British imperialism, King proclaimed the Governor General should always follow the prime minister’s recommendations, ultimately winning his request to hold an election in September that year, which he won.

Since the incident, governors general have never denied a prime minister’s request to dissolve or to prorogue Parliament, granting a number of requests for elections even after short-lived minority governments.

Malloy said it is difficult to say when a scenario calls for the Governor General to use these reserve powers.

“The reserve powers are really there for the unimaginable,” said Malloy, citing as the bizarre-but-basic example of “if the prime minister went crazy, or something like that.”

But all of this skirts the real issue for a great many Canadians: Why have a Governor General at all, given the ceremonial nature of the role?

An April 3 Angus Reid public opinion poll found nearly 40 per cent of Canadians don’t believe the position should exist, while 22 per cent would like to see future governors general elected.

However, Messamore said the GG’s reserve powers are essential and prevent tyranny – even if they are rarely used. “(Without the Governor General), government wouldn’t have these checks upon them and their powers would be unlimited,” she said.

Malloy echoed that sentiment. “The Governor General . . . offers a certain “˜fail-safe’ or protection to our democratic freedoms.”

Messamore said the Governor General can be compared to a “constitutional fire extinguisher,” a metaphor coined by political scientist Frank MacKinnon in his book, The Crown in Canada.

“It’s something like a real fire extinguisher – conspicuous and brightly coloured, but rarely used,” said Messamore.

Malloy said the Governor General is also a “true symbol of the nation” that everyone can agree upon. “Whether or not you like Stephen Harper, most people seem to like Michaelle Jean and accept her as a symbolic head of the nation,” he said.

The job comes with a dazzling array of perks.

The $123,900 position comes with extensive travel and entertaining allowances – including a personal chef. And the Governor General has two official residences – both spectacular.

There is the Citadelle de Quebec, in Quebec City, and Rideau Hall in Ottawa, where the incumbent usually resides.

Located at 1 Sussex Drive, Rideau Hall boasts 175 rooms and grounds that fill about 32 hectares. Two uniformed men, resembling the Queen of England’s guards at Buckingham Palace, guard its front entrance. (The astounding size of Rideau Hall is due to its function; Governors General not only reside there, but also use the building for official events.)

The interior decorating of Rideau Hall is a spectacular mix of traditional British country-estate with an underlying theme of Canadian multiculturalism running throughout.

One room, near the entrance, houses a collection of art, titled “Diasporart” by Canadian artists from culturally diverse communities.

The residence also features a spectacular ballroom with ornate gold crown moulding and a massive chandelier in the centre of the room. The chandelier has more than 12,000 Waterford crystals and was a gift from the British government rewarding Canada for its efforts in the Second World War.

The accommodations might be posh, but it isn’t all ribbon-cuttings and tea on the lawn. Messamore said governors general have to “put up with a punishing schedule.”

“These people are workhorses, which may seem surprising, when you think of them cutting ribbons and chatting with people,” she said. “But I think that sort of thing would wear thin for most people.”

Anyone interested in the job should be prepared to spend several years travelling and making a lot of speeches, warned Malloy.

“People talk about Wayne Gretzky being the next Governor General,” he said. “Well, Mr. Gretzky would probably want the job for five minutes, not five years.”

Messamore said the best person for the job also has to be able to handle public scrutiny, adding that governors general are often criticized for inaction. Or, when they do act, they are criticized for taking the wrong action.

“It’s a no-win situation,” she said.

A recent example is Jean’s controversial move to eat raw seal meat while on a visit to Nunavut in May 2009.

The next Governor General should also keep in mind their non-partisan role might disqualify them from politics in the future, Messamore said. “After serving as governor general, it really isn’t the done thing to go back into active politics.”

As for possible candidates for Jean’s successor – cherished Canadian personalities like Gretzky, Hansen, even Star Trek’s William Shatner, have been bandied about -_Malloy said no obvious or serious contender has emerged.

Some of the best-known Canadians are probably not appropriate choices, he said, adding there’s also no indication those people would even want the job.

“There’s certain people we may admire, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d be a good fit,” Messamore added.

Who is Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean?

“¢ She was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

“¢ Her family fled Haiti in 1968, immigrating to Canada while Haiti was still under a dictatorial regime.

“¢ She is fluent in five languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish and Creole.

“¢ She holds two degrees: a bachelor of arts in Italian, Hispanic languages, literature; and a masters in comparative literature, both from the University of Montreal.

“¢ Jean has worked with Quebec shelters for battered women and contributed to establishment of emergency shelters in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

“¢ She was also a highly regarded journalist, anchoring programs at Radio-Canada and CBC Newsworld.

“¢ She adopted her daughter, Marie-Eden, with her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond, an international award-winning filmmaker.

Canadians approve of Michaelle Jean, but are divided on extending her term.

“¢ 57 per cent of Canadians surveyed approve of Jean’s performance as Governor General, while 26 per cent disapprove.

“¢ Jean has the highest approval rating in British Columbia and Ontario, at about 65 per cent, and the lowest rating in Quebec, at 42 per cent.

“¢ 43 per cent support extending Jean’s term for two more years, while 40 per cent oppose this.

“¢ Nearly 40 per cent of Canadians don’t believe the position of Governor General should exist at all, while 22 per cent would like the position to be an elected one.

“¢ 50 per cent believe Hansen would be a “very good choice” or a “good choice” for Canada’s next Governor General.

Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion poll on April 3, using a representative sample of 1,005 Canadians.

The many official titles of the Governor General:

“¢ Referred to as the Right Honourable, which lasts for life.

“¢ Referred to as His or Her Excellency, only while in office.

“¢ Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada.

“¢ Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.

“¢ Commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces.