Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged that Canada’s next governor general will be bilingual—fluent in both French and English—during a radio interview on Radio-Canada.
Carney is in Quebec City these days for the Liberal Party of Canada’s national convention and gave a live interview Friday morning to host Patrick Masbourian on the program “Tout un matin.”
Masbourian asked the prime minister if he was committed to appointing a governor general who speaks both of the country’s official languages, to which he replied without hesitation, “absolutely.”
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He did not go so far as to mention any potential candidates. Masbourian suggested the name of Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner, but he did not comment on that nomination.
Currently, Canada’s Governor General, Mary Simon, has limited proficiency in French despite the lessons she is taking. In 2015, she said she was “deeply committed” to learning the language.
Simon speaks English and Inuktitut. In 2021, she became the first Indigenous representative of the Crown in Canadian history.
Despite this historic appointment, many people criticized the appointment of the former Inuit leader due to her lack of proficiency in French.
It is customary for the governor general to serve a five-year term, which means an appointment could be made in 2026.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
