General Chat

Admit it. There just aren't enough of them here. Vice-Regal threads.

The Queen's personal representative in Canada. The one who signs our bills into law. We don't pay our 66p for the Queen, but we do pay for the GG, and we hear similar laments ... all those expensive trips, refurbishing the residence ...

So quick now: name the Governor General of Canada!

But wait -- if you actually can name the GG of Canada, don't!
This is a guessing game, not a general knowledge quiz. ;)


Just so's some Aussie or New Zealander doesn't come along and demand that I name theirs. ;) I wouldn't know the GG of Australia or New Zealand if I tripped on him/her -- or went googling to find out who it was. But, I'll see your Dismissal, Aussies, and raise you a King-Byng Affair! New Zealanders ... nothing exciting happens there, does it?



Just for fun. Check out this photo:

http://www.gg.ca/media/pho/galleryPics/2789.jpg

and then describe the GG of Canada in 25 words or less!

Pleasant looking
Would look better wearing paler colours
Charming smile
Better in Canada than Haiti (where my b-i-l currently resides)!

Dee
x

From the photo:

A balding, bespectacled, jovial, friendly gentleman with a liking for elderly ladies.

Okay, two answers -- and one knew the answer already. ;)

I thought somebody might go for the obviously Aboriginal older woman.

Nope, not the bow-tied statesmanly-looking white gent. He's Jean-Daniel Lafond:

His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond, C.C.
Biography
Born in France, Jean-Daniel Lafond taught philosophy and wrote film criticism for La Revue du Cinéma, while carrying out research in the educational sciences specializing in media pedagogy. He came to Canada in 1974, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1981. He has since devoted his time to cinema, writing and radio.

He's married to The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada -- the Haitian-born woman on the right. I wish we could post pix here ...

Just thought some who'd never thought about the Queen's personal representatives in what used to be called the Dominions might find it interesting.

Recent predecessors of Ms. Jean have been:

Adrienne Clarkson, journalist, born in Hong Kong to one Chinese and one English parent

Roy Romanow, former premier of the province of Saskatchewan for the New Democratic Party (social democratic, my party)

Jeanne Sauvé, also a journalist, Speaker of the House of Commons in the 1970s under Pierre Trudeau, one of the first 3 women elected to Parliament from Quebec, second woman GG in the Commonwealth (first was in Belize)


http://www.gg.ca/gg/bio/index_e.asp

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada
Biography

Michaëlle Jean was born in Port au Prince, Haiti. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1968, fleeing the dictatorial regime of the time.

After obtaining a Master of Arts in comparative literature at the University of Montreal she taught at the Faculty of Italian Studies at the same university. Three scholarships allowed her to pursue her studies at the University of Perouse, the University of Florence and the Catholic University of Milan. She is fluent in five languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish and Creole.

During her studies, Ms. Jean worked for eight years with Quebec shelters for battered women, while actively contributing to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. She later ventured into journalism and became a highly regarded journalist and anchor of information programs at Radio-Canada and CBC Newsworld. She also took part in documentary films produced by her husband, filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond, including A State of Blackness: Aimé Césaire’s Way (La manière nègre ou Aimé Césaire, chemin faisant), Tropic North (Tropique Nord), Haiti in All Our Dreams (Haïti dans tous nos rêves), and Last Call for Cuba (L’heure de Cuba), all of which earned awards both in Canada and internationally. The couple has an eight-year old daughter, Marie-Éden.

Ms. Jean has won numerous honours, including the Prix Mireille-Lanctôt for a report on spousal violence; the Prix Anik for best information reporting in Canada for her investigation of the power of money in Haitian society; and the inaugural Amnesty International Canada Journalism Award. She has also been named to the Ordre des Chevaliers de La Pléiade, by the Assemblée internationale des parlementaires de langue française, and has been made an honorary citizen by the City of Montreal and the Ministère de l’Immigration et des relations avec les citoyens of Quebec in recognition of her accomplishments in communications.

Michaëlle Jean became Canada’s 27th governor general in September 2005.

All of 'em were/are totally suitable for the position I'm sure? Where do I send my 66p?

when you say "under" Trudeau, how exactly do you mean - thought he used to be a bit of a goer so to speak!!

I thought it was his wife Ann, not Pierre the man - lol

was it? knew something rather racey went on around him but couldn't quite remember what

Did she not pop off with a pop star or something?

Jac

Oh Jac, don't you worry! We pay for our own bits and bobs of vice-regality here.

Jeanne Sauvé and Trudeau were certainly of the same class -- the monied, highly educated (starting in those private RC academies the Jesuits and them ran) citizens of the world. I dunno about her and Pierre. One never does know. Once Margaret ran off with the Rolling Stones ...

Actually, more fascinating tales. Margaret married once or twice more, and Pierre had a daughter with a constitutional lawyer, again much younger and from a prominent (rich) family (father was governor of Bank of Canada).

One of the three Trudeau sons was killed in an avalanche. Oldest son Justin will be running as a Liberal in Montreal in the next election. A lot of people want him to be the next John-John Kennedy, only better. I named him: the cook in the restaurant where I was working and I were joking around when he was born about what to call him. The cook said "Gimmick". I said no no; English, French, the Just Society: Justin. I won.

Anyhow, Margaret was diagnosed fairly recently with bipolar disease, and is speaking publicly about her problems and the disease.

And she was featured on the first series of our very own CBC's Who Do You Think You Are!

Turns out one of her ancestors was involved in the creation of the Raffles hotel in Singapore, and other fascinating stuff.

http://www.cbc.ca/whodoyouthinkyouare/stories/index.php

http://www.cbc.ca/whodoyouthinkyouare/stories/index.php

One of the families of another featured personality, Scott Thompson -- one of the Kids in the Hall comedy troup that our younger members might know of, comes from Saltash, Cornwall. One of my families (the mysterious Hill/Monck gr-grfather's grandfather) has long roots in St Stephens by Saltash and the area around, so that was kinda neat to see.

Canadian trivia!

I was just about to post my Postal Order - lol

Nothing too different between the Canadian Governent and our own then, is there? (or the Royal Family, come to think of it)

Hey ho, it just goes to show that we are ruled by humans - or are we??

Jac

honestly Kathryn, you really are a mine of information - it's better than school on these boards - I've learned more on here than I ever learned in school!!!

by the way - bi-polar is a dreadful affliction, for the sufferer and those who love them!!

It seems your (our) Royal Family delivered a giant snub to us Canadians when Pierre Trudeau died. Nobody came to the funeral.

Fidel Castro did. He was a pallbearer.

Prince Andrew attended school here, some may remember. I would have thought maybe Pierre and Charles would have got along ...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/series/trudeau/queen.html

Pierre Elliott Trudeau: 1919-2000
The Queen and Charles are otherwise occupied
The Globe and Mail
Tuesday, October 3, 2000

To judge by Buckingham Palace's latest schedule of royal appearances, today will be a busy day for the Royal Family.

The Queen will open the new divisional headquarters of Grampian Police at Blackhall Road, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. Princess Anne will visit Mannesmann Rexroth Limited, Rexroth, Scotland, to present the Queen's Award for Enterprise. Prince Charles will no doubt be resting up for tomorrow's attendance at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Awards 2000 at the Chain Store in London's Docklands district, to be followed by launching Loud Tie Day on behalf of the Beating Bowel Cancer charity at the London Television Studios.

Which leaves Prince Andrew. Since the Duke of York happened to be in Canada anyway for a conference at Ontario's Appleby College, he will attend Pierre Trudeau's funeral today, though not as an official representative of the Royal Family. Not worth bothering the Queen, who memorably transferred the Constitution to Canada from Britain in 1982 at Mr. Trudeau's request. Not worth bothering the heir to the throne, who might have come in his mother's stead to acknowledge the death of the man who led Canada for 16 years and influenced it for far longer.

Anyway, the Governor-General will be there, with several past governors-general. And the current Prime Minister, with several past prime ministers. And -- but why go on? The place will be packed. Even Fidel Castro may be there. Hardly worth troubling the Queen of Canada or the sovereign-in-waiting.

yes Ann -- Margaret was treated publicly much as Diana was. If she'd been diagnosed a lot earlier ...

Another Canadian with the same problem -- who was also in the first series of our WDYTYA -- is Margot Kidder. Some may know her as Lois Lane in the Superman movies.

She was also mocked in the press when she was found hiding in someone's wood pile or some such, having deteriorated to the hearing voices stage.

Both Marg*s are now interesting, public-minded middle-aged women in their own right.

we've had Charles touring Wales this week - well he is Prince of Wales - but not in my book. At least he actually has a home here now - I remember being present at the docks in Cardiff during Empire Games Week in 1957 when HRH came on the Royal Yacht and she announced that Charles was to be Prince of Wales. I don't think anyone cared particularly.

Typical reaction from our Royals with regard to Pierre's funeral! now if Margaret had run off with a Beetle, that would have been different. )))

Of course at the time "we" were probably bestowing a Knighthood on Mugabe - much more important.

Very informative thread - thanks for the lesson.

Jac

Next, we'll do the 1837 Rebellions. ;)

Of course my families were all in England at the time, and I hated history in school, so you'll have to give me a few weeks to prepare ...

well you've certainly made up for it since!!!

bi-polars are usually OK if they take their medication regularly

By the way I'm listening to the lovely Canadian songbird Anne Murray at the minute - "Snowbird" I'm in heaven!!!