Gov. Gen. Mary Simon insists her lack of French language proficiency does not hinder her ability to represent Canadians, after several Quebec politicians this week criticized her for hardly speaking the language, three years after her appointment.
“We’re all human,” Simon told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview airing Sunday. “I think we all have sensitivities when you get a personal attack, when without knowing really what the reality is.”
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“So, yeah, it can be hurtful,” she added. “It’s not going to stop me from doing my job, though.”
Simon faced criticism from some Quebec politicians this week, after a planned visit to Quebec City and Lévis, Que., during which there were media reports she spoke almost no French during her tour in the region.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet was also asked about it this week, saying during a press conference the “big boss of everything that is Canada” should not need an “interpreter to tour Quebec,” and adding it’s “astonishing.”
He extended his criticism, however, to the monarchy more broadly, calling the institution “archaic” and saying it should be abolished.
Simon, however, said she was not asked whether she speaks French prior to reporting that she couldn’t.
“I have been taking lessons for three years, and I can carry on a conversation in French,” she said. “It may be short, but I can do it, and I know I’ve made a lot of progress.”
Simon made history in 2021 as the first Indigenous Governor General. She is bilingual and fluent in both Inuktitut and English.
During her first speech as Governor General, in July 2021, Simon said she was “denied” the opportunity to learn French while she attended a federal government day school, but added she was “deeply committed to continuing (her) French-language studies.”
She reiterated that commitment in a written statement on Thursday.
Simon also said upon her swearing in that she planned to carry out her duties as Governor General “in both of Canada’s official languages as well as Inuktitut.”
Since Vincent Massey in 1952 — the first Governor General appointed at the recommendation of the prime minister — all governors general have spoken both English and French, though some faced criticism for their lack of fluency in the early days of their tenures.
On November 24, 2021, Sen. Claude Carignan introduced a bill that would amend the Language Skills Act to add the position of Governor General to the list of public service positions where knowledge of French and English was mandatory, but the bill never made it past second reading.
Simon told Kapelos her French language skills do not hinder her ability to represent Quebecers to the monarchy, or vice versa.
“I’m a Canadian, I’m a Quebecer, I’m Indigenous, and I have worked on identity, culture and language all my career,” she said. “And it’s very hard to just pick the language as something that’s so important that you forget about all the other elements as to why you’re doing your job, and why you were appointed to be that person.”
Simon said identity, culture and language all need to be considered together, not “one piece at a time.”
When asked whether the criticism feels misplaced because of that, Simon said, “Yes, I do.”
And when asked whether the incident will prevent her from making future visits to Quebec, Simon answered with an unequivocal “no.
“I’m a Quebecer,” she said. “I come from Nunavik, and it will always be my home.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to provide additional context to the story. The changes clarify details and expands on the history of bilingualism in relation to the role of the Governor General.
