Louise Arbor at Rideau Hall: “an asset” for Mark Carney’s foreign policy | Radio-Canada

Louise Arbor enters Rideau Hall on Monday, the prestigious residence in which 30 governors general have succeeded one another before her since 1867. Although this function is largely symbolic and ceremonial, the arrival at this position of this woman of international stature, a fine connoisseur of Canadian institutional workings, sends strong signals to the strategic aims of his appointment.

As noted by Daniel Béland, the director of the Institute of Canadian Studies at McGill University, this appointment is a rather classic choice, that of a personality to the concrete CV, who knows Canadian institutions, its legal and constitutional system well.

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A profile that Daniel Béland compares to that of David Johnston, a law professor with a prestigious career, who was governor general of Canada from 2010 to 2017 and embodied a form of institutional stability.

Frédéric Boily, professor of political science at the University of Alberta, also mentions this comparison, estimating that after the controversies which surrounded the mandates of Julie Payette and Mary Simon, there was a crucial need to restore the image of this function.

According to him, the choice of Ms. Arbor aims to give this function greater credibility on a legal and institutional level.

By choosing a perfectly bilingual French-speaking Quebecer, after the numerous criticisms addressed to Mary Simon on her French, Mark Carney also sent a message of appeasement in the run-up to the Quebec elections, judge these experts.

Mastering speaking

Embodying this role will come with challenges. This woman of conviction, who was not afraid to express sometimes strong opinions, will now have to control her public speaking engagements, so as not to cause headaches for the governmentrecalls Daniel Béland.

She will be able to put forward certain ideas, but in a cautious manner, and stick to comments that are as least controversial as possible. Every word will have to be weighed and evaluated, there can be no improvisation.

Finding this balance will be a challenge, agrees Frédéric Boily, who recalls that the role of governor general requires a certain restraint. She will have to show that the function is useful, while remaining in the background.

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François Crépeau, professor and former director of the Center on Human Rights and Legal Pluralism at McGill University, predicts, conversely, that Louise Arbor will demonstrate a certain outspokenness.

She will say things as she means them, and be an important ally of the Canadian government. She will be talked about on the international scene, more than previous governors, because of her background, which is a good thing in the current international cacophony.

Having a strong voice on the international stage will perhaps bring the Canadian voice out of the shadowshe hopes, raising the possibility of forging closer relations with the European Union, New Zealand and Australia. In this context, he judges, she is an asset.

A more political role than it seems

François Crépeau recalls that beyond the impression of political uselessness of the function, the governor general is a figure who embodies the continuity of the Canadian state, independently of the politicians who succeed one another in power.

The appointment of Mary Simon highlighted the indigenous dimension of Canadian national identity. With Louise Arbour, who has worked in numerous UN forums, it is for Canada to highlight another aspect of its identity: its long-standing attachment to international institutions.

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We have been friends of the United Nations and its predecessor, the League of Nations, since 1919. Ms. Arbor has worked extensively in this worldhe observes.

One of Mark Carney’s strategies is to expand the circle of friends of Canada and its commercial and political partners to establish relations less centered on the United Stateshe continues.

Appointing someone who has close ties to many international organizations sends the message of a Canada that will diversify its foreign policy, even if through symbolic means.

For Daniel Béland, the choice of Louise Arbor is highly symbolic at a time when Canada must show imagination and forge new alliances.

François Crépeau also recalls that, in the event of an electoral deadlock, due to an equal victory of two parties, it is the Governor General who holds the power to choose the party called to govern. From this point of view, she can have very important authoritymet-il en évidence.

An informal advisor?

Finally, even if the Governor General does not have the official role of advising the Prime Minister, the in-depth constitutional knowledge of the woman who has notably served as a judge on the Supreme Court of Canada could be valuable for Mark Carney, in a context of national tensions caused by surges separatists in both Alberta and Quebec.

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Stephen Harper, Prime Minister from 2006 to 2015, met regularly with David Johnston to talk about what was happening in the news and in Parliament, recalls Daniel Béland. For Mark Carney, it can be practical to have a person like her around him. He could go see her from time to time and discuss certain issues with herhe suggests.

For François Crépeau, the personality of Louise Arbour, an affable person with whom a relationship of trust is easily established and who has extraordinary interpersonal skillswill probably leave a mark on the function.