The Haitian-born Michaelle Jean will make history on September 27th 2005. On that day, she will be invested as the first black Governor-General of Canada. The 48-year-old former TV journalist is the second immigrant in a row named to be Canada’s titular head of state. Her predecessor, Adrian Clarkson, also a journalist, was of Japanese heritage.
Ms. Jean’s selection continues the practice of alternating between governor-generals selected from English-speaking Canada and Quebec. Her selection continues the trend started with Ms. Clarkson’s appointment of choosing a person from outside of the traditional corridors of power.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Canadian system of government, it is what’s known as a constitutional monarchy. The sovereign, in this case the King or Queen of England, is a figurehead, while parliament and its leader run the country. In Canada, the Governor-General represents the Queen.
Until 1952, the representative of the British crown was appointed by the Queen and sent over from England. The first Canadians selected to the position were from, what would be considered, Canada’s version of elite families, people with connections politically and socially.
It wasn’t until the seventies, with the selection of Edward Schreyer, former premier of Manitoba, that the Governor-General began to reflect society. The back-to-back appointment of two immigrant women shows just how much our society has changed in the past thirty years.
What makes Ms. Jean’s selection even more unique is that for the first time a non-European francophone has been placed in a position of significant power. Canada is proving to be multicultural in both of its official languages. It will be interesting to see how Quebec nationalists respond to this change.
In a previous sovereignty referendum, Jacque Parizeau, leader of the nationalist Parti Quebecois, blamed what he called the immigrant vote for the rejection of Quebec independence. This was widely seen as an attack upon racial minorities such as Haitians who had settled in Quebec because it was francophone, but considered themselves Canadians first and Quebecois second.
Article comments
1 - JELIEL
Unfortunately the seperatists won't give a flying monkey's crap. Most of them are xenophobic to begin with. In 1992 an African man wanted to wear a ju-ju (I thinhk that's what it's called) with Québec colors for the St-Jean parade and he was refused by the St-Jean Baptiste Society because it wasn't pure-laine (Pure Quebecer)
When I walk the halls of client companies, the ones that are public (public means owned by the provincial goverment), I hear the most horrible things. Stuff like "Calisse de negre, y nous prene nos jobs" (fucking niggers they take our jobs) and then theres the jew conspiracy oh and yeah, one of the team leaders that took all the resumes with names she couldn't pronouce (because she's from some retarded village who have never had a black man set foot in) simply throw them away without even looking at them. And I just love it when a black consultant from my company walks into the client's offices. The look on those white seperatists is priceless. They all look like they've never seen a black dude walking the office halls and not be there to deliver a package.
Those losers won't care, simply because she's black and they will consider her token black. But thankfully those seperatists are lower in numbers than they used to be and Parizeau, well he's just an old drunk that even the PQ tries to wash their hands of.
Most of the younger generation don't much care for seperation now and that's a good thing. they've been mixing it up with other ethinicities since birth.
2 - Jawnbc
Hi there,
a few errors: Clarkson is Chinese. She came to Canada as a refugee from Hong Kong as a child. And the role of GG doesn't alternate between English speaker and Québecer: it's between anglo and francophone. Most recent GG's have been from:
Ontario (Clarkson)
New Brunswick (Leblanc)
Saskatchewan (Hnatyshn)
Saskatchewan (Sauvé)
Manitoba (I forget)
Québec (I forget)
so she's the first Québec in 20 years.
3 - Rob H.
While the position is largely symbolic, the choice of appointing a reporter from the State run propoganda machine colloquially known as "CBC" is exactly what we would expect from a Prime Minister heading up a morally bankrupt government.
In the midst of ongoing investigation into government corruption, Paul Martin goes, "hmm... how to appease the rabble... ah, yes, appoint a black woman from Quebec". I'm sure he was dissappointed in discovering she wasn't also a lesbian - could have made serious bonus points for that.. but then, I suppose the ramming of gay marriage down the throats of the public (no pun intended) covered that angle.
4 - Scott
This country is going down the proverbial toilet. "Diversity" is another name for "Dilution". We've been told its a good thing. And taught to be tolerant. However some of those who come here are not taught tolerance and are taught to hate the west. When whites become the minority and it will happen, will they be tolerant of us? History dictates that people of different backgrounds & culture DO NOT mix! Already we cannot get the Liberals out of power. Our last two Governor Generals have been Ethnic immigrants. I submit it may already be too late. If we haven't lost our country. We soon will. I fear for my children and my descendants.
5 - Victor Plenty
Actually, history shows people get along fine, regardless of how "different" their cultures or skin colors might be, unless governments, religious leaders, or other ambitious groups with self-serving agendas devote strenuous efforts to stirring up baseless hatreds and fears.
6 - Diane
Michael Jean is a smart women, to say the least.
I thought it was wonderful to have a French Quebec citizens who use to be "sympatique" with the separatist movement and who moved on. Finally!
It's a rare phenomenon and much of a needed one.
Have you checked Canadian Pharaoh's lates post? "To the owners of Nefertiti Cafe MTL,you guys are jerks and scumbags!"
7 - farmerdave
Why couldn't the GG be from a family with an extended history in Canada? The real builders of the nation. Someone who's family has been in the phone book in excess of 100 years. e.g. Irish potato famine Newfoundlander or Ukrainian homesteading wheat/cattle producer from Saskatchewan or Alberta. I'm not convinced that a post WWII chinese immigrant from Hong Kong classifies as a refugee, they had money and status within the British Empire to get into Canada in that era, all Europeans, Japanese and Brittish were refugees, everything they had was destroyed, as well her partner of 30 yrs wasn't good enough for marriage until she wanted the GG job. As for Jean, what a beauty! But she's got a connection to France? The GG job requirements are: CBC reporter, who's entire carreer has been funded by the Gov't and now you better say nice things about our Gov't! Clarkson is a few years late with her Sabre Rattling about the 5M Russian vacation, How do you spend 5M in a country with no currency value at that time? She knew what she was doing when she signed the cheque, Liberals are BIG spenders!
8 - Hermit
personally im not much of a political groupie, i dont care who gets elected or which prime minister does or says what to who, im just another canadian student, keyword "canadian" and im proud of it, i think if politics dropped completly off the face of the earth and people went back to feeling the passion of their heritage
the world probly wouldnt be as ugly as the tail of a rat left in a trap, for those who read this, it's only my opinion and not much else, thanks for your time. by the way, canada in itself kicks ASS!
9 - salifu
well some people just can't see that the wind of racial change is blowing.sometime ago blacks and other minorities were considered as second class citizens,now they are considered as fellow citizens.
This a change that some find hard to understand but there's nothing anyone can do about it.And for those claiming the minorities are taking over the country from them and their decendants,i have one question;what happened to the native indians, if you claim the country is being taken over from you?thnx
10 - Elaine Scheffer
Please consider Canada's economy it will fail if this coalition comes to pass. our country needs stability not a political coup! Please don't vote for the take over of our legitmate government. We don"t want Quebec to have control. No province should have vito that is not democracy