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.

Investiture of the 27th governor general

At her investiture on September 27, 2005, Jean declared, "the time of the two solitudes is past." In her speech, described as "moving," Jean set aside the usual platitudes. She 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." http://www.canada.com/national/features/governor_general/story.html?id=78549c49-781f-43c0-908d-20f24db2ca5a Globe and Mail columnist, John Ibbitson, reflected the general captivation with the new governor general in the following way:

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:"ere is this beautiful young Canadian of Haitian 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." http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050928.wxibbitson28/BNStory/International/

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