Former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour is now the 31st governor general of Canada after being sworn in during a ceremony in Ottawa.
Arbour replaced Mary Simon, who was the first Indigenous person to hold the position.
The ceremony took place at the Senate building in Ottawa and attendees include Simon, Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chief Justice Richard Wagner, House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and former prime ministers Jean Chretien and Joe Clark.
Speaking after the installation, Carney praised Arbour’s “distinguished career.”
“At every stage of her distinguished career, Her Excellency Louise Arbour has defended and promoted justice, dignity and equality,” Carney said.
The governor general is the “steward of the values we cherish,” Carney said.
“In fulfilling these tasks, Her Excellency will represent the best of Canada to Canadians and to the world. A Canada that is a bastion of justice, security and prosperity for all. A Canada that is a beacon to a world at sea. A Canada that is clear-eyed about the challenges that we face and steadfast in the values we uphold. A Canada that is not just strong, but good. A Canada that is not just prosperous, but fair,” Carney said.
Before the ceremony began, a qulliq a traditional Inuit oil lamp was lit by an Inuk elder and will remain lit throughout the ceremony.
The event included a musical performance by francophone artist Sara Dufour, who sang “La Reine” by Les Cowboys Fringants. Anglophone artist Tyler Shaw performed “Like Me and You” by Raffi.
Chimwemwe Undi, Parliament’s poet laureate, read her poem “Reasons,” which she wrote for the ceremony. A French translation of the poem was read by a student from the Louise Arbour Elementary School in Ottawa.
Arbour will give her first address to the nation as governor general during the ceremony, in which she is expected to outline her priorities for her time in office.
As Arbour ascends to the throne in the Senate chamber, a 21-gun salute will be fired from Parliament Hill.
The Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces played “God Save the King” after the ceremony and the Governor General’s Flag was be raised on the Peace Tower.
An accomplished former jurist, Arbour is fluently bilingual and served as UN human rights commissioner and chief prosecutor at The Hague.
Arbour, 79, was chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. She made history when she became the first to indict a sitting head of state Serbia’s president Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity.
The Montreal native also secured the first conviction for genocide since the establishment of the 1948 Genocide Convention in the case of a former Rwandan mayor.
She also was first to prosecute sexual assaults as crimes against humanity.
King Charles approved Arbour’s appointment, the first since he took the throne in 2022.
Arbour met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace last week.
The role of governor general includes serving as commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces and representing Canada at home and abroad.
The official duties of a governor general include swearing cabinet ministers into office, proroguing and dissolving Parliament, making appointments on the prime minister’s advice and granting Royal Assent to turn bills into law.
Carney said last week that Canada is grateful for Simon’s service and thanked her for her efforts to further Indigenous reconciliation.
