MartiniPundit

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Canada’s New Governor General

When we think of Canada, most Americans tend to think of beer, hockey, cold, but rarely concern ourselves with its politics or government. Indeed, to the extent that we do, it’s probably to wonder who that matronly woman on their currency is. If asked to name Canada’s form of government, I suspect a depressingly small number of people could answer “constitutional monarchy.” But that’s what it is, and Queen Elizabeth II is the also the Queen of Canada (and Australia, and New Zealand and dozens of pinprick islands).

Today, Prime Minister Martin (amazingly still in office) will announce the new Governor General - the Queen’s representative in Canada, and essentially the default Head of State for the nation. She is Michaelle Jean, and she has an unusual beginning:

Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She left in 1968, her family fleeing the oppressive regime of Francois ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier, settling in Quebec with her family. She is fluent in five languages: French, English, Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole.

She is apparently also a journalist and television personality. It’s highly unlikely that a journalist will ever be elected President of the United States, even laying aside the fact that she was born in Haiti. But in Canada, it seems, every little girl can grow up to be Governor General.