Governor General

Update July 9, 2021

On July 6, 2021 Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has approved the appointment of Ms. Mary Simon as the next Governor General of Canada.

The announcement took place at The Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

As Governor General, Ms. Simon will represent Her Majesty The Queen in Canada as our 30th Governor General since Confederation.

An installation ceremony is expected in the coming weeks.

As an Inuk leader and former ambassador, Ms. Simon is the first Indigenous person ever to be appointed to the role.

The Governor general-designate and her husband Whit Fraser plan to move into Rideau Hall.

1. Pray that Ms. Simon will function with honour and statesmanship that will bring stability as a symbolic ‘mother’ to our land.

2. Pray that righteousness and integrity will permeate her office and that she will function with grace and humility.

More and more we are hearing the rhetoric of a possible summer election being called in Canada. Therefore, our government needs the appointment of a new Governor General. Only with the Queen, or her representative, can government be given permission to prorogue with the dissolving of Parliament. We can expect an announcement of this appointment any day now.

Prime Minister Trudeau has recently been seeking advice from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in appointing our Governor General. This is a needed position as we are part of the Commonwealth.

Our system of government is a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada and Head of State. The Governor General is the official representative of The Queen in Canada.

Some of the key roles of a Governor General include:

1. swearing into office the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers and the Chief Justice of Canada;

2. summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament;

3. delivering the Speech from the Throne;

4. granting Royal Assent to acts of Parliament.

As well, the Governor General also presides over the Federal Executive Council, or Privy Council, and is the commander-in-chief of the Canadian military.

This is a great and honourable position to serve in our nation and aids in bringing stability to our form of government. The Canadian Governor General also serves to remind us of our historical roots with Great Britain.

For more information about the process, here is a National Post article from June 10, 2021.

1. Pray for God’s sovereign leading in the appointment of a new Governor General.

1. Pray that this individual will function with honour and statesmanship that will bring stability as a symbolic ‘father’ or ‘mother’ to our land.

1. Pray that he or she will in fact have a plumb-line of Christian values.

1. Pray that with this appointment, our new Governor General will function with grace and humility and would be well qualified in fulfilling all the associated duties.

1. Please continue to remember to pray for our former Governor General, Julie Payette.