CANADA’S 31st Governor General, Louise Arbour, was installed during a ceremony in the Senate Chamber, in Ottawa, on Monday.
The installation ceremony was followed by a presentation of military honours, the inspection of a guard of honour and laid flowers at the National War Memorial.
Governor General Arbour then made her way to Rideau Hall, where she was welcomed by her family and by staff members of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, along with a guard of honour of the Governor General’s Foot Guards (GGFG).
“As I take on my new role, I am mindful of the privilege given to me to go out and meet with Canadians across this country and to discover the wealth of ideas and ideals that inspire them. I am preparing myself to be surprised and to confront my own stereotypes and unconscious biases (…) I can’t wait to learn and share with you my thoughts on the joy of discovering others. And when I am called upon to represent Canada beyond our borders or to welcome foreign dignitaries here at home, it is this diversity of Canadian voices that I intend to showcase,” said Arbour.
Born in Montréal, Quebec, she studied at Collège Regina Assumpta and earned her Licentiate in Law (LL.L.) from the Université de Montréal in 1970. She later completed graduate studies at the University of Ottawa while clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada for Justice Louis-Philippe Pigeon. She was called to the Quebec Bar in 1971, and to the Ontario Bar in 1977.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement: “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour as she formally assumes the role of the 31st Governor General of Canada.
“The Governor General is the guardian of our constitutional order, a symbol of unity, and above all, a steward of our commitment to peace, order, and good government. Canadians entrust the Governor General to defend our institutions, to uphold our values, and to represent our ambition to build a stronger, fairer country for all. These duties call for sound judgment, deep learning, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
“These are the very principles upon which our new Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, has built her exceptional career. Her Excellency served at the highest levels of Canada’s judiciary – from the Ontario Court of Justice to the Ontario Court of Appeal and, ultimately, to the Supreme Court of Canada.
“Yet her legacy extends well beyond the courtrooms of this country. Some of her most consequential work as a jurist took place on the world stage. As Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, she held the most powerful to account in The Hague – establishing that no one, regardless of rank or office, stands above the law. As United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, she challenged the international human rights system to be worthy of the people it claimed to serve. She gave voice to those whose dignity was being denied, in places where those in power preferred silence.
“At every stage of her distinguished career, Her Excellency Louise Arbour has defended and promoted justice, dignity, and equality. As Canada’s 31st Governor General, she will carry forward this work – representing the best of Canada to Canadians and to the world.”
