King Charles III holds an audience with Louise Arbour, Canada's next governor-general, at Buckingham Palace in London on Wednesday, five days ahead of Ms. Arbour's official installation.YUI MOK/AFP/Getty Images
Days ahead of her installation as Canada’s new governor-general, Louise Arbour met in London on Wednesday with King Charles III, whom she will represent in Canada.
Details on the meeting were limited, but the Royal Communications office of Buckingham Palace confirmed that Ms. Arbour, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, was received in audience by the King weeks after her appointment as Canada’s 31st governor-general.
Office spokesperson Aaminah Akram said in an e-mail that there were no other details beyond a released photograph of Ms. Arbour and the King, standing side by side, and that conversations in the audience would have been private.
Ms. Arbour will be in the spotlight on June 8 as she is installed in a ceremony at the Senate building in downtown Ottawa, succeeding Mary Simon, whose term is coming to an end after five years.
A former chief prosecutor of the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Arbour is expected to deliver a speech as she ascends to the role of governor-general.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced Ms. Arbour’s appointment on May 5, is also expected to speak at the ceremony.
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While Ms. Arbour was in London, Governor-General Mary Simon and her husband, Whit Fraser, were at a farewell ceremony in Ottawa, attended by dignitaries including MPs, cabinet ministers and senators.
“Your Excellency: your legacy will be long. It will be deep and it will endure, not only in your accomplishments and your service but also in how you served, with determination, with compassion and with grace,” Mr. Carney said in a speech.
In particular, Mr. Carney noted the work of Canada’s first Indigenous Governor-General in helping to advance reconciliation and working to bring together King Charles and national Indigenous leaders.
“True to her character, Mary Simon’s service will not end with the last boxes leaving Rideau Hall,” said the Prime Minister.
He said it will continue with the work of Ajuinnata: The Mary Simon Catalyst for Mental Wellness, which is being created by the Rideau Hall Foundation to bolster community mental-health services in the Arctic.
The federal government is making an initial $5-million investment to launch the project and will match every dollar up to $10-million that the foundation, a national charity, raises.
Governor-General Mary Simon sits with her husband, Whit Fraser, right, and Prime Minister Mark Carney at her farewell reception in Ottawa.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Mr. Carney also took note of Ms. Simon’s husband, saying that Ms. Simon’s legacy would not have been possible without the tremendous sacrifice, support and contributions of her loved ones.
“So may I thank Whit Fraser, who has also worked tirelessly to build a more just Canada,” said Mr. Carney. “Whit also flew the mission.”
In her own remarks, Ms. Simon said it had been a busy time at Rideau Hall with the COVID-19 pandemic, the passing of Queen Elizabeth and her son Charles becoming King, along with the arrival of a new Prime Minister and U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term.
Throughout the changes, Ms. Simon said she has been confident in the strength of Canadian democracy, sovereignty and institutions, which she credited to the parliamentarians present for the ceremony.
As Governor-General, she said she had tried to be a bridge builder for all Canadians.
“That is a true spirit of reconciliation. I have worked to foster meaningful connection between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples with his majesty, the King, with Pope Francis, and now Pope Leo, and with all of us,” she said.
Summing it all up, Ms. Simon said, “It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve alongside you and to serve Canada as your Governor-General.”