Louise Arbour's installation as Canada's 31st governor general

Louise Arbour's installation as Canada's 31st governor general

Louise Arbour installed as Canada's 31st Governor General | CBC News Special

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The official ceremony is about to get underway at 10 a.m. ET. It will be marked by protocol, including taking three oaths: the oath of allegiance, the oath of the Office of the Governor General and commander-in-chief of Canada, and the oath of the Keeper of the Great Seal of Canada.

The Governor General is often seen as a steward and promoter of Canadian art, so expect some song and poetry.

And of course, we'll hear from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Arbour herself.

In a speech to parliamentarians last Wednesday, outgoing Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said the role was the 'honour of a lifetime.'

Canada's first Indigenous Governor General has been in the role since July 2021.

She said that during her term, she worked to "foster meaningful connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples," including the King, Pope Francis and Pope Leo.

"I have sought to be a bridge-builder for all Canadians. That is the true spirit of reconciliation."

– With files from The Canadian Press

Whatever she brings to Rideau Hall, Arbour will be the personification of an institution — at a moment when the country those institutions underpin is under unique stress.

Arbour will now affix her signature to laws and read the speech from the throne and preside over the swearing-in of new ministers. She will host receptions, give out awards and welcome new ambassadors.

But beyond the pro forma, a governor general might hope to do a couple of bigger things: to work, in small ways, to bring Canadians together and to act, in quiet ways, to build and preserve trust in Canada's democratic institutions.

Such things might matter all the more at present, when national unity is both particularly vital and potentially challenged, and when the basic fallibility of our institutions is so apparent when one looks elsewhere in the world.

All is quiet at Rideau Gate, where we are waiting for Louise Arbour to emerge.

Described as the "home away from home" for visiting dignitaries, Rideau Gate is an official residence where Arbour is spending her last moments as a private citizen. The Governor General's official residence is the nearby Rideau Hall.

King Charles approved Arbour's appointment, the first time he's done so for a Canadian governor general since he took the throne in 2022.

Arbour met Charles at Buckingham Palace last Wednesday.

Arbour was also invested as an extraordinary commander of the Order of Military Merit and commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, according to a social media post by the official Governor General account.

The Governor General is the federal representative of the King, Canada's formal head of state. It is a largely ceremonial, non-partisan role, in which the Governor General acts on the advice of the prime minister and federal cabinet.

As governor general, Arbour's official duties will include swearing in cabinet ministers to office, proroguing and dissolving Parliament, making appointments on the prime minister's advice and granting royal assent to turn bills into law.

Who is Louise Arbour, Canada's next governor general?

Prime Minister Mark Carney has selected former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour to serve as Canada's governor general. Arbour will replace Mary Simon, whose five-year term is due to end soon.

Arbour is perhaps Canada's most accomplished jurist, having served in a number of highly influential roles that sometimes earned her criticism for the principled positions she took.

Born to a low-income, single-parent family in Montreal in 1947, Arbour earned a law degree with distinction from l'Université de Montréal in 1970, and was admitted to the Ontario bar in 1977.

Since then, she has gone on to serve as chief prosecutor for the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, the UN high commissioner for human rights, and CEO of the International Crisis Group.

Her long career began when she took a job clerking for former Supreme Court justice Louis-Philippe Pigeon shortly after graduating.

From there she worked as a research officer at the Law Reform Commission, then as a professor at Osgoode Hall, York University's law school. By 1987 she had worked her way up to the position of associate dean.

That same year Arbour was appointed to the bench of what was then the Supreme Court of Ontario, now the Ontario Court of Justice. Three years later she was elevated to Ontario's Court of Appeal.Arbour's reputation as a fearless advocate for the truth found its early roots in her scathing final report on conditions at the prison for women in Kingston, Ont., in 1996. In her conclusion, she said the federal correctional system is supposed to contribute to the "maintenance of a just, peaceful and safe society."

"The society in which many women offenders live is neither peaceful nor safe," she said. "By the time they go to prison, they should be entitled to expect that it will be just."

Read more here about Arbour's life and career.

Former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour will become the 31st governor general of Canada in a ceremony at the Senate building in Ottawa this morning.

Arbour, 79, had a long career as a judge, having served in a number of highly influential roles at home and abroad.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced Arbour's appointment early last month, has described Arbour as an exemplary "steward of our tradition of peace, order and good government" and the "guardian of our constitutional order."

The ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. ET, will include an address by Carney and Arbour's first speech as governor general.

After the ceremony, Arbour will inspect the Guard of Honour at the National War Memorial and lay flowers for Canadians who have died in combat.