Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Inuk leader Mary Simon will be Canada’s 30th Governor General, being the first Indigenous person in history to take on this important role.
While Simon’s installation in the position is still underway, this position will out-rank Trudeau in holding the second-highest federal office in Canada after the Queen, according to CTV News.
Simon began her speech in Inuktitut, and later thanked Trudeau and the Queen for her appointment, adding: “I believe we can build the hopeful future in a way that is respectful of what has happened in the past…If we embrace our common humanity and shared responsibility for one another, Canada's greatest days are yet to come.”
From starting out as the first Inuk to take on a Canadian ambassador position (Ambassador of Circumpolar Affairs and Ambassador to Denmark), to working on the implementation of the first land claims agreement in Canada for James Bay and Northern Quebec, and now serving as Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General… Mary Simon is making important history.
