Michaëlle Jean

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, CC, CMM, COM, CD {{IPA|}} (born September 6, 1957 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is the current governor general of Canada. Jean was approved by Queen Elizabeth II, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Paul Martin, to succeed Adrienne Clarkson and become the 27th governor general of Canada.

Controversy

Soon after the announcement of Jean's appointment, Prime Minister Martin was asked if the current political climate in Ottawa caused him to appoint her. Martin denied that the appointment was a political move to gain seats in Quebec, where the Liberal Party lost 15 seats in the last election. {{ref|Martin}} It should be noted that by the office's established tradition of alternating anglophones and francophones, Martin was almost certain to choose a francophone to succeed Clarkson. Until Jean's appointment, Jeanne Sauvé, who served from 1984 to 1990, was the last governor general to live in Quebec, and Jules Léger, who served from 1974 to 1979, was the last Governor General from Quebec.

Related Topics:
Ottawa - Quebec - Anglophones - Francophones - Jeanne Sauvé - 1984 - 1990 - Jules Léger - 1974 - 1979

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On August 11, 2005 The Globe and Mail reported that in an 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. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050811/LAFOND11/National/Idx

Related Topics:
August 11 - 2005 - The Globe and Mail - Sovereigntist - Le Québécois - René Boulanger

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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. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050811.wjean0811/BNStory/National/?query=Micha%EBlle+Jean Sovereigntists have a vested interest in causing a strong reaction in English Canada against francophone candidates which would alienate the public in Quebec. They have also been attempting to garner support amongst the francophone immigrant community, and a high profile federal appointment of this sort does not help their case.

Related Topics:
Jacques Rose - FLQ - Pierre Laporte - St-Jean Baptiste Society - 1995 referendum - Canada - Quebec

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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, standard procedure for appointment to such a high-profile position. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050812.wxlafond13/BNStory/National/ 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."

Related Topics:
RCMP - CSIS - La Presse

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On August 17, Jean responded to the controversy, with the following statement:

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:I want to tell you unequivocally that both 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.

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She also clarified that she and her spouse "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," http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news.asp?id=564 although some critics continued to argue that her response remained too vague.

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Another minor controversy concerned her French citizenship. A section of the French civil code forbids French citizens from holding government or military positions in other countries and, as Commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces and as de facto head of state, Jean would hold both military and government positions, however the law is rarely applied. The French embassy stated that there was "no question" of the law's being enforced in Jean's case. This is mainly because the role of Governor General is mainly ceremonial.

Related Topics:
French - Civil code - Commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces - Governor General

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However, on September 25, two days before her scheduled appointment to the position, Jean made a statement renouncing her French citizenship, putting this controversy to rest. http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/09/25/jean_citizenship_20050925.html

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