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Michaëlle Jean

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Her Excellency the Rt. Hon. Michaëlle Jean
Image:Michaelle Jean Oct 2005.jpg
Incumbent
Assumed office 
September 27, 2005
Preceded by Adrienne Clarkson
Born September 6, 1957
Port-au-Prince, Haïti
Spouse Jean-Daniel Lafond
Profession Journalist
Religion Roman Catholic

Michaëlle Jean, CC, CMM, COM, CD, DUniv (honoris causa), D.Litt (honoris causa) [mi•ka•ɛl ʒɑ̃], (born September 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, Haïti) is the current Governor General of Canada. Jean was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Paul Martin, to succeed Adrienne Clarkson and become the 27th governor general of Canada since Confederation in 1867.

As the current Governor General of Canada, she is entitled to be styled Her Excellency while in office, and The Right Honourable for life; she will be sworn to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada after her term as the Queen's representative has ended.

An official announcement about the appointment was made on August 4, 2005. Her investiture took place on September 27.

Prior to becoming Governor General, Jean was a journalist and broadcaster on Radio-Canada and the CBC.

She is the first person of Afro-Caribbean heritage to serve as Governor General, the third woman, and the second immigrant.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Jean fled Haïti with her family from dictator François Duvalier's regime in 1968. Her father, with whom she has recently reconciled, was a philosopher who was tortured under Duvalier's regime and separated from the family for 30 years. The Jean family settled at Thetford Mines, Quebec.

As a student at the University of Montreal, Jean received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Italian and Hispanic languages and literature and, from 1984 until 1986, taught Italian Studies while completing a Master of Arts degree in comparative literature. Jean attended the University of Florence, the University of Perugia, and the Catholic University of Milan to continue her studies in language and literature. Besides French and English, Jean is fluent in Spanish, Italian, and Haïtian Kréyòl and can read Portuguese.

While attending university, Jean worked at a shelter for battered women from 1979 until 1987. She later helped establish a network of shelters for women and children across Canada. Jean also worked in organizations that helped immigrants to Canada and then later worked for Employment and Immigration Canada (now Human Resources and Skills Development Canada) and at the Conseil des Communautés culturelles du Québec, where Jean began writing about the experiences of immigrant women.<ref>CBC News: Indepth: Michaëlle Jean; October 11, 2005</ref>

[edit] Family

Jean married documentary film-maker Jean-Daniel Lafond. They have one daughter, Marie-Éden, adopted from Haïti.

Jean was born in Haïti, Lafond in France, and Marie-Éden in Haïti, making the entire vice-regal family of non-Canadian and non-Commonwealth birth.

[edit] Career

Jean was an award-winning reporter, filmmaker, and broadcaster.

She was employed by Radio-Canada in 1988, where she worked as a reporter and then host of news and affairs programs such as Actuel, Montréal ce soir, Virages, and Le Point. In 1995, she anchored a number of programs for Réseau de l'information (RDI), Radio-Canada's all-news channel, such as Le Monde ce soir, l'Édition québécoise, Horizons francophones, Les Grands reportages, Le Journal RDI, and RDI à l'écoute. In 1999, she was also asked by the English network, CBC Newsworld, to host The Passionate Eye and Rough Cuts, which broadcast the best in Canadian and foreign documentary films. By 2004, she began her own show, Michaëlle, while continuing on Radio-Canada, hosting RDI's Grands reportages, as well as an occasional anchor of Le Téléjournal.

She and Lafond have made several films, including the award-winning Haïti dans tous nos rêves (Haïti in all Our Dreams). In the film, she meets her uncle, the poet and essayist René Depestre, who fled from the Duvalier dictatorship into exile in France and wrote about his dreams for Haïti, to tell him Haïti awaits his return. She has hosted and produced news and documentary programming for television on both the English and French services of the CBC.

[edit] Governor General

[edit] Announcement

Michaëlle Jean exiting the Canadian Senate with Paul Martin to announce her appointment as Governor General on August 4, 2005.

In announcing the Queen's approval of Jean as his choice to succeed Clarkson, then-Prime Minister Martin said she "is a woman of talent and achievement. Her personal story is nothing short of extraordinary. And extraordinary is precisely what we seek in a Governor General — who after all must represent all of Canada to all Canadians and to the rest of the world as well."<ref>Prime Minister of Canada: Anouncement by Paul Martin of Michaelle Jean's appointment; August 4, 2005</ref>

Jean is Canada's first black Governor General, the second person without either a political or military background (after Adrienne Clarkson), the second person from a visible minority and (again after Clarkson), foreign-born (like Clarkson, and breaking tradition since Vincent Massey's appointment), the second person in an interracial marriage (again after Clarkson), the third woman (after Jeanne Sauvé and Clarkson), the fourth-youngest person (after Lord Lorne (33 years old in 1878), Lord Lansdowne (38 years old in 1883) and Edward Schreyer (43 years old in 1979), and the fourth journalist (after Sauvé, Roméo LeBlanc and Clarkson) to hold the position. She is also the first Governor General to be born during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Her appointment also marked the first time in over 30 years that a child had lived in Rideau Hall.

Former Prime Minister Paul Martin, Marie-Eden Jean and Michaëlle Jean on the day of Michaëlle Jean's appointment as 27th Governor General of Canada.

As Lafond was born in France, and their six-year-old adopted daughter, Marie-Éden, born in Haïti, the entire vice-regal family will be of non-Canadian and non-Commonwealth birth. Jean had held dual citizenship; she applied to become a French citizen upon marrying her husband who also held Canadian and French citizenship. She renounced her French citizenship, however, on September 23, 2005, she announced her voluntary renunciation of her French citizenship "in light of the responsibilities related to the function of Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces."<ref>CBC News: New governor general to give up French citizenship; September 25, 2005</ref>

Jean, in her first remarks after the announcement of her impending appointment, said she wanted to reach out to all Canadians, regardless of their background. Jean also made it a goal to reach out especially to Canadian youth and those who feel disadvantaged. Jean also encouraged all Canadians to become involved in community affairs.

On September 6, 2005, the Queen granted an audience to Jean and her family at Balmoral Castle. Though it is standard for a governor general-designate to have an audience of the monarch before assuming office, this meeting was unique in that Jean's young daughter was present, marking the first time in the Queen's reign that a governor general-designate has brought her child to an audience.

[edit] Reaction

[edit] Controversy over recommendation

Soon after the announcement of Jean's recommendation for appointment, Prime Minister Martin was asked if the current political climate in Ottawa caused him to recommend she be appointed by the Queen. Martin denied that his was a political move to gain seats in Quebec, where the Liberal Party had lost 15 seats in the 2004 election. Until Jean's appointment, Jeanne Sauvé, who served from 1984 to 1990, was the last governor general to live in Quebec (though Jules Léger, who served from 1974 to 1979, was the last governor general born in Quebec).

On August 11, 2005 The Globe and Mail reported that in a forthcoming article released early by the Quebec sovereigntist publication Le Québécois, author René Boulanger stated that Jean and her husband supported Quebec independence. Boulanger also stated that Jean's spouse, Jean-Daniel Lafond, was friendly with former Quebec terrorists.<ref>Peritz, Ingrid; Globe and Mail: Rideau Hall pick disappoints separatist hard-liners; August 11, 2005</ref>

Boulanger reported that he had often visited Jean's home, and that during one of these visits Lafond told him that Jacques Rose, a former member of the terrorist FLQ, had built a bookshelf for the couple. Rose was a member of the FLQ cell which kidnapped and murdered Quebec Cabinet Minister Pierre Laporte. Boulanger admitted that his statement was intended to cause English Canada to reject Michaëlle's candidature as the next Governor General. Following release of the article, Gilles Rhéaume, former president of the St-Jean Baptiste Society called on Jean to reveal how she voted in Quebec's 1995 referendum, which federalists won by a narrow majority.<ref>Wyatt, Nelson; Globe and Mail: Separatist says 'Come clean, Jean'; August 11, 2005</ref><ref>CTV News: Canadian Press: GG-designate challenged on 1995 referendum vote; August 11, 2005</ref> Sovereigntists had a vested interest in causing a strong reaction in English Canada against francophone candidates which would alienate the public in Quebec. They had also been attempting to garner support amongst the francophone immigrant community, and a high profile federal appointment of this sort did not help their case.

Calls from a few members of parliament, and by some of the provincial premiers, for Jean and her husband to reveal their sympathies were met with a statement from the Prime Minister that the two had undergone a thorough background check by the RCMP and CSIS, as was standard procedure for appointment to such a high-profile position.<ref>CBC News: New governor general must clarify sovereignty position, premiers say; August 12, 2005</ref><ref>Globe and Mail: Martin defends viceregal couple's loyalty; August 13, 2005</ref> Four days following this, the August 17 edition of La Presse contained the information that Jean had appeared in a video documentary toasting "to independence" in a Montreal bar with several hard-line separatists. In the video she made the statement: "Independence can't be given, it must be taken." It was then later clarified that she had been speaking about Haïti, and not Quebec.

Image:BinaryRhyme Michaëlle Jean greets Concert Attendees at Rideau Hall.jpg

The same day, Jean responded to the controversy, with the following statement:

"I want to tell you unequivocally that both [Lafond] and I are proud to be Canadian and that we have the greatest respect for the institutions of our country. We are fully committed to Canada. I would not have accepted this position otherwise.... [We] have never belonged to a political party or the separatist movement."

Following Jean's statement, Martin responded "There is no doubt in my mind that her devotion to Canada is longstanding and resolute," although some critics continued to argue that her response was still too vague.<ref>Prime Minister of Canada: Statement by Paul Martin</ref>

By late August, polls showed that there had been a 20% drop in support for the recommendation of Jean as the next Governor General. In response, the Hatian community voiced their support for Jean, even holding special church services in her honour.<ref>CBC News: Haitian community holds special church service for the governor general-designate; August 27, 2005</ref>

Another minor controversy concerned her French citizenship, which she acquired when she married Lafond. A section of the French civil code forbade French citizens from holding government or military positions in other countries, and, as Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces and as Governor General, Jean would hold both military and government positions; however, the law is rarely applied. The French embassy stated that there was "no question" that the law would not be enforced in Jean's case. Still, on September 25, two days before her scheduled swearing-in, Jean made a statement renouncing her French citizenship, putting the controversy to rest.<ref>CBC News: New governor general to give up French citizenship; September 25, 2005</ref>

In an interview conducted in October, 2005, Jean's husband affirmed that he and his wife were Quebecois before they were Canadians.

Jean later said that her opponents had attempted to manufacture a controversy out of the lighthearted event in order to discredit her.

[edit] Investiture of the 27th governor general

Jean and Lafond on Canada's thrones in the Canadian Senate during Jean's investiture ceremony

At her investiture on September 27, 2005, Jean declared, "the time of the two solitudes [referring to Quebec and the rest of Canada] that for too long described the character of this country is past." In her speech, described as "moving," Jean set aside the usual platitudes, and called for protection of the environment, the shielding of culture against globalization and an end to the marginalization of young people. According to one media account "...the pomp and circumstance of Canada's most significant state function were blended with humour, passion and even tears."<ref>Thompson, Elizabeth; The Gazette: Passion and Tears: Jean Sworn In; September 28, 2005</ref> Globe and Mail columnist, John Ibbitson, reflected the general captivation with the new governor general in the following way:

"[H]ere is this beautiful young Canadian of Haïtian birth, with a smile that makes you catch your breath, with a bemused older husband by her side, and a daughter who literally personifies our future, and you look at them and you think: Yes, this is our great achievement, this is the Canada that Canada wants to be, this is the Canada that will ultimately make way for different cultural identities."<ref>Ibbitson, John; Globe and Mail: The remarkable new Governor-General; September 28, 2005</ref>

[edit] As Governor General

Following a tradition for governors general, Jean's first months in the position saw her traveling to each province and territory of Canada. Where she went, crowds were large and welcoming, a marked contrast to the low approval levels shown in polls earlier.<ref>CBC News: Hundreds greet new Governor General; Ocotber 18, 2005</ref> On November 27, 2005, Jean attended the Grey Cup and presented the Cup, donated by previous Governor General Earl Grey in 1909, to the victorious Edmonton Eskimos. In the past, this function was often performed by the Prime Minister.

In 2006, Jean, Lafond, and their daughter undertook their first international trip, visiting Italy to attend the closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics, where Canada was given the Olympic flag as the hosts of the next games in 2010, as well as to meet Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in Torino, and Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

On April 17, 2006, while on a visit to the territory of Nunavut, Jean opened the annual Toonik Tyme Festival and announced her donation of eighty books written in Inuktitut, French and English to the Iqaluit Centennial Library in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday on April 21, 2006.<ref>Governor General of Canada: Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean Speech on the Occasion of the Opening Ceremony of the Toonik Tyme Festival; April 17, 2006</ref> The next month, on May 4, she became the first governor general to address the Alberta legislature, during her first official provincial visit there. That visit preceded another to Saskatchewan, where Jean made stops in Regina, Fort Qu'Appelle and Qu'Appelle. Jean participated in an historic private discussion with women chiefs and elders at Government House, following the Lieutenant Governor's luncheon, where a local Monarchist League of Canada representative was master of ceremonies.

Also in May, she attended the investiture of René Préval as President of Haïti, her first visit to her homeland in her vice-regal capacity. She was greeted with enthusiasm in her hometown of Jacmel.<ref>CBC News: Governor General visits her family's hometown in Haiti; May 16, 2006</ref>

Jean became the first governor general to launch an online chat with Canadians, on September 27, 2006. This initiative was part of a larger project: creating a website within the Governor General's domain name dubbed "Citizen Voices: Breaking Down Solitudes," where users could engage each other in blogs and discussion forums.

Jean embarked on a trip consisting of five state visits to African countries - Algeria, Mali, Ghana, South Africa and Morocco - between November 18 and December 11, 2006. She encouraged women's rights in each country she visited, stating that women in Islamic countries were "builders and doers," and that westerners should "look beyond the veil."<ref>Panetta, Alexander; Toronto Star: Jean welcomed by 'brothers and sisters'; November 22, 2006</ref> On November 23, 2006, the tour took her to Mali where she was greeted by tens of thousands lining the highway, and where she was presented, in the town of Benieli, with a goat, replete with a Canadian flag on its collar.<ref>Canadian Press; Toronto Star: Malis gives GG thanks, and a goat; November 27, 2006</ref> Male vendors in Mali also gave Canadian jouralists gifts to be passed on to Jean, provided that she also be given their phone numbers. The gifts, and phone numbers, were deposited with the Rideau Hall Office of Protocol.<ref>Panetta, Alexander; Toronto Star: Press in Mali gives Jean star treatment; November 25, 2006</ref> In a precedent-breaking move, on her Citizen Voices website, Jean personally explained the role of the Governor General in undertaking state visits, and the reason behind these particular visits throughout Africa.<ref>Jean, Michaelle; BLOGG: Canada and Africa; November 19, 2006</ref> She then continued to post, from Africa, her obsevations and feelings on her experiences on the continent.

[edit] Controversy during tenure

The controversies that attached themselves to Jean prior to her appointment continued into the early months of her time as Governor General.

At the October 12, 2005, National Press Gallery dinner, a jovial annual event akin to a roast in which Canadian politicians and reporters gather and by tradition make speeches satirizing one another, Jean stirred controversy when she referred jokingly to Parti Québécois leadership candidate André Boisclair's admitted cocaine use.<ref>CBC News: Governor General criticized by sister over Boisclair jokes; November 6, 2005</ref>

Also, during Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa on November 11, 2005, a handful of veterans turned their backs on the Governor General as her car drove up to the National War Memorial. The protesters said they believed Jean and her husband were Quebec separatist sympathizers who worked to break up a country the veterans fought to defend.<ref>CTV News: Canadians honour war dead in solemn ceremony; November 11, 2005</ref>

During the week of September 18, 2006, in an interview with the Canadian Press, speaking about an idea for subsidies for Canadians to visit other parts of the country, Jean stated that Quebecers "are sometimes very disconnected from the rest of Canada" and that it is affecting the country's unity. Criticized by Quebec separatist politicians, including André Boisclair and Gilles Duceppe, she later clarified her statement by saying that Canadians from all provinces are disconnected from other parts of the country.<ref>LCN: Le Québec boude le Canada, déplore Michaëlle Jean; September, 2006</ref><ref>Canadian Press; Globe and Mail: Governor-General defends remarks on Quebec, September 25, 2006</ref> A September 26 editorial in the Montreal Gazette, however, supported Jean's statements on the divisions between Canada's peoples, and said that supporting national unity was a part of a governor general's mandate.<ref>Toronto Star: Exchanges bring two solitudes closer; September 27, 2006</ref>

In an editorial on September 27, 2006, journalist Chantal Hébert stated that Jean had "been wading uncommonly deep in political territory over the past few months," citing the Governor General's criticism of Quebec sovereigntists, and her support for the mission of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, expressed in first year anniversary interviews.<ref>Hébert, Chantal; Toronto Star: Will Jean thwart election call?; September 27, 2006</ref>

[edit] Arms

The personal arms of Michaëlle Jean Following her installation as Governor General, Jean was granted a personal coat of arms by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, depicting her Haïtian roots. The shield shows a sand dollar, a special talisman for Jean, and the Crown symbolising her vice-regal authority. The crest is a shell in a broken chain, symbolising her ancestors' escape from slavery. The supporters are two Simbis, water spirits in Haïtian culture. The motto is Briser les solitudes, which means Breaking down solitudes. Around the shield is the circlet of the Order of Canada, with its motto, Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means Desiring a better homeland.

[edit] Honours

Her full style and title in English is: Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada.

In French it is: Son Excellence la très honorable Michaëlle Jean, chancelière et compagnon principale de l'ordre du Canada, chancelière et commandante de l'ordre du mérite militaire, chancelière et commandante de l'ordre du mérite des forces de police, gouverneure générale et commandante en chef du Canada

As Governor General she is also Dame of Justice of the Order and Prior and Chief Officer in Canada of St. John of Jerusalem. She has won many prizes, such as the Amnesty International journalism award.

Jean is an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club H24575.

CountryAward or OrderClass or PositionDates
CanadaOrder of CanadaChancellor and Principal Companion2005
CanadaOrder of Military MeritChancellor and Commander2005
CanadaOrder of Merit of the Police ForcesChancellor and Commander2005
CanadaOrder of St JohnDame of Justice2005
CanadaCanadian Forces Decoration-2005
CanadaCommemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan-2006

[edit] Honorary Degrees

[edit] Awards prior to vice-regal posting

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

<references/>

Preceded by:
Adrienne Clarkson 		Governor General of Canada
2005–present 		Incumbent


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