What to know about Louise Arbour, Canada's next governor general
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Louise Arbour, a bilingual lawyer and former UN high commissioner for human rights, as Canada's new governor general, succeeding Mary Simon.
- Arbour, 79, is a Montreal-born former Supreme Court justice and international prosecutor known for indicting former Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milošević and securing the first genocide conviction under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
- The appointment addresses criticism of Simon's limited French proficiency, as Arbour is fluent in both of Canada's official languages, English and French.
- Arbour praised Canada's constitutional monarchy for providing stability and continuity, emphasizing the importance of wise governance for the country's well-being.
- Mary Simon, Canada's first Indigenous governor general and an advocate for Inuit rights, completed her historic term amid ongoing discussions about language and representation in the role.
