Mary Simon's run as Canada’s first Indigenous Governor-General is coming to an end five years after former prime minister Justin Trudeau recommended her for the post.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
Governor-General Mary Simon says it’s not appropriate for the Prime Minister to live on the grounds of Rideau Hall, as he does now.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau first moved into a cottage on the property near downtown Ottawa in 2015, citing the physical deterioration of 24 Sussex Dr., the historic home of Canadian prime ministers.
Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to live in the same cottage.
But in a wide-ranging interview to mark her departure as Governor-General, Ms. Simon said Rideau Hall stands as the residence and office of a representative of the Crown, and the Prime Minister, as a leader of government, should live elsewhere.
“I think it has to be separate from Rideau Hall,” Ms. Simon said.
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Mr. Carney has said his government is working on a plan, as yet unreleased, on matters related to 24 Sussex Dr.
Rideau Cottage, which was built between 1867 and 1868, was initially a residence for the secretary to the Governor-General.
It was pressed into service as a temporary option for Mr. Trudeau because the conditions at 24 Sussex Dr. were described as too poor for him and his family to move in.
But more than a decade later, there is no public plan for the official residence, which housed Canadian prime ministers starting with Louis St. Laurent in 1951 and ending with Stephen Harper, who vacated the home after his electoral defeat in 2015.
Options could include renovating 24 Sussex Dr. or building a new residence for the Prime Minister at another location in Ottawa.
Rideau Cottage, pictured in 2015, was initially a residence for the secretary to the Governor-General.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
To protect the existing property as a heritage asset, the National Capital Commission cleared out the house between May and November of 2023, spending $4.3-million on a decommissioning and abatement effort that included dealing with asbestos and removing, cataloguing and storing heritage items.
The NCC has said the effort was necessary regardless of any decision about the future of the property, which now sits empty across the street from the grounds of Rideau Hall.
Ms. Simon told The Globe and Mail she has not been part of the conversation on housing the Prime Minister, but she noted the government operates separately from the Crown.
“Whether 24 is renovatable or not, I’m not sure. I don’t know the technical aspects of it, but I think, as a country, we need to have a house for our Prime Minister,” she said, adding she does not know whether it has to be new or not.
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Ms. Simon’s run as Canada’s first Indigenous Governor-General is coming to an end five years after Mr. Trudeau recommended her for the post.
Former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour, her successor, will take over on June 8.
Looking back, Ms. Simon said she came to the job with a mix of personal and professional experiences, including as an Inuk, an advocate for Inuit rights and a former Canadian ambassador to Denmark, that equipped her for the challenges of Rideau Hall.
“I felt I could offer my experience to Canadians and be a champion for reconciliation, and that’s what I have done,” she said. “I’ve tried to be a leader that leads.”
She said she was struck by the intensity of the work. “We do a lot of travel. We have many ceremonies related to the honour systems that we have here. And then I have my priorities, also, that I have been working on,” she said.
“Making sure that all took place over the last five years has been a positive challenge,” she said.
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Her priorities included bolstering relationships between Indigenous people, the Crown and Canadians writ large. She urged Canadians to deal with the realities and legacy of residential schools. She also promoted Indigenous education and languages.
During her tenure, the outgoing Governor-General welcomed Pope Francis during his visit to Canada in 2022 – a trip that included an apology to residential school survivors. She also hosted the King during his visit last year.
Asked whether the focus on reconciliation will continue with the new Governor-General, Ms. Simon said it will be up to Ms. Arbour.
“Canadians want to continue to talk about building relationships in our country,” she said. “The new Governor-General will decide whether that is a priority in her mandate. I hope it will be but I can’t, of course, say one way or the other.”
Reconciliation is a work in progress, she said.
“This ongoing responsibility has picked up steam. I’ve done what I could over the last five years.”
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Looking ahead, Ms. Simon said it will not be a challenge to move on. “My family is ready to receive me,” she said. “For the last five years, I haven’t been seeing them very much.”
Still, she said she will miss her staff at Rideau Hall. “We have a great team here,” she said.
The immediate future includes a summer of rest, time at a cottage in Nova Scotia, where her husband Whit Fraser is from, and a trip to northern Quebec. “I’ll probably go berry-picking,” she said.
The two plan to stay in Ottawa and, Ms. Simon said, pursue “new initiatives” she did not detail.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, who has for years championed Canada's reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, is nearing the end of her tenure. She says she saw herself as a bridge-builder in the role and that reconciliation remains a worthwhile cause.
The Canadian Press
Ms. Simon, 78, is bilingual in English and Inuktikut. However, she faced criticism during her tenure for not being fluent in both of Canada’s official languages.
She said she worked on her French with a tutor twice a week, fitting it into the end of her day.
“All my words are there, but I just have to structure it because English and Inuktitut are very different,” she said. “People say I don’t speak French, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t learn French. I learned French.”
Ms. Simon said her comprehension of French improved over the years, but she found it challenging to process French in quick conversation.
Her advice to others on pursuing French lessons late in life: “Don’t take it when you’re 79 years old.”