Michaelle Jean (AKA: Michaëlle)

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Michaelle Jean Governor General Of Canada

Michaelle Jean CC CMM COM CD FRCPSC(hon) (French pronunciation; born 6 September 1957 Governor General of Canada. She was appointed as such by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on the recommendation of then Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin, to replace Adrienne Clarkson as vicereine, with the official announcement of the selection made on 4 August 2005, and Jean's investiture taking place on 27 September of the same year.

Michaëlle Jean is a refugee from Haiti — coming to Canada in 1968 — and was raised in the town of Thetford Mines, Quebec. After receiving a number of university degrees, Jean worked as a journalist and broadcaster for Radio-Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), as well as undertaking charity work, mostly in the field of assisting victims of domestic violence. Her participation in some of the film works by her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, through the 1990s, as well as her holding of French citizenship, later caused controversy when her appointment as Governor General was publicised; recorded comments of hers were construed by some as favouring Quebec sovereignty, and her dual citizenship caused doubt about her loyalties. Jean denied separatist leanings and renounced her citizenship of France.

As Governor General, Michaëlle Jean is entitled to be styled Her Excellency while in office, and The Right Honourable for the duration of her viceregal tenure and life beyond; given current practice, she will be sworn in to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada after her term as the Queen's representative has ended.

Jean and her family hail from Haiti; she was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, spending summers and weekends in Jacmel, her mother's hometown. With her family, Jean fled Haiti in 1968 to escape the regime of dictator François Duvalier — who had tortured Jean's philosopher father and separated him from his family for more than 30 years — and, upon arrival in Canada, the family settled at Thetford Mines, Quebec.

As Governor General
Michaëlle Jean greets concert attendees at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival at Rideau Hall
As the representative of Canada's head of state, the Governor General welcomes US President Barack Obama to Canada, 19 February 2009At her investiture ceremony in the Senate chamber on 27 September 2005, Jean declared in a speech described as "moving" that "the time of the Two Solitudes that for too long described the character of this country is past," and called for the protection of the environment, the shielding of culture against globalization, and an end to the marginalisation 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." while The Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson reflected the general captivation with the new governor general in the following way:

Michaëlle Jean also focused strongly on the plight of female victims of violence, meeting with representatives of women's organisations during foreign visits, as well as during her visits to Canada's provinces. In contrast to her low approval ratings prior to her appointment, crowds were large and welcoming where Jean went as vicereine; only as her convoy arrived at the National War Memorial for her first Remembrance Day ceremony, on 11 November 2005, were Michaëlle Jean and Lafond greeted with disapproval from an audience, when veterans turned their backs on the Governor General and her consort to show contempt for two people the veterans felt had worked to break up the country they had fought to defend. This incident occurred just after Michaëlle Jean made satirical remarks at the roast-like annual National Press Gallery dinner about Parti Québécois leadership candidate André Boisclair's admitted cocaine use.

Michaëlle Jean presiding over Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa, 2007There was some perception that Jean was overstepping the boundaries of an office that was expected to remain non-partisan; journalist Chantal Hébert opined that the Governor General had "been wading uncommonly deep in political territory over the past few months," citing the Jean's criticism of Quebec sovereigntists and her expressed support for the mission of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, and Michael Valpy penned a piece in The Globe and Mail critiquing Jean for inviting who Valpy described as "potentially politically charged individuals" to post on her Citizen Voices website. Further, the content of a speech by Jean to mark the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was regarded as thinly veiled criticism of her Cabinet's decision to end the Court Challenges Program, and, into 2007, it was reported that Jean's staff at Rideau Hall had been systematically removing royal portraits from the walls of the palace. All of this prompted Valpy to reveal that, early in his time as Prime Minister, Stephen Harper was told by Alex Himelfarb, then the Clerk of the Privy Council: "Prime Minister, your biggest problem is in Rideau Hall," meaning Jean and her potential to be a "loose cannon".