New Governor General to be sworn in today

Today, the 31st Governor General of Canada will be sworn in.

Louise Arbour will be sworn in as the King's representative in Canada in the Senate.

She replaces outgoing Governor General Mary Simon, who finishes her term. She was installed as the 30th Governor General of Canada on July 26, 2021.

Arbour is a former Supreme Court justice and internationally respected human rights leader; she brings more than five decades of legal and public service experience to the role. Over her career, she has served on the Supreme Court of Ontario, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

In 1996, Arbour was appointed chief prosecutor for United Nations tribunals addressing crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. During her tenure, she oversaw landmark cases, including the first conviction for genocide under the Genocide Convention and the first indictment of a sitting head of state for war crimes.

She later served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and, from 2017 to 2018, as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for International Migration. More recently, Arbour authored a sweeping independent review into misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces, prompting significant reforms.

Arbour is a Companion of the Order of Canada and a senior officer of Quebec’s national order, and has received dozens of honorary degrees and international awards.

As a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy, King Charles III is King of Canada and Head of State. The Governor General is the representative of The King in Canada.