Mary Simon becomes 30th Governor General of Canada

Mary Simon has been sworn in as the 30th Governor General of Canada.

Simon is the first Indigenous person to hold the role.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on July 6th that the Queen accepted his recommendation of Mary Simon.

The governor general's role was left vacant after Julie Payette resigned in January over allegations of an abusive and hostile workplace.

Simon succeeded Richard Wagner, who was the Administrator of the Government of Canada.

Simon is a former Canadian diplomat and current fellow with the Arctic Institute of North America.

Early in her career, she was a producer and announcer for CBC North, and later entered public service as secretary of the board for the Northern Quebec Inuit Association.

She was Canada's first Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, and was a lead negotiator for the creation of the Arctic Council.

She also later served as ambassador to Denmark.