GG Payette resigns 21 Jan 2021

[Humphrey Bogart]

I am more than glad to pay Julie Payette a $150k a year to fudge off and never be spoken of again.

The Cosa Nostra call it "keep your mouth shut money".

 

[brihard]

Just to explain in practical terms why we will always have a GG:

The position of Governor General, and the roles outlined a couple posts up, and written right into the Constitution. Conversely the role of the Prime Minister actually isn't - it's a convention, but not a written rule. The role of the GG in exercising executive power on the advice and with the consent of the government is an absolutely core principle of how our parliamentary democracy functions.

To get rid of the role of GG, or to substantially alter their functions, would require amendment of the Constitution. Our Constitution has different amending formulas depending on the changes envisioned. Any change to the role of the GG requires the hardest amendment: unanimous consent of the provincial and federal legislatures, in the form of all ten provincial governments and the federal government passing corresponding legislation provincially or federally. If one province balks, it's not happening.

In Canadian constitutional politics, since the failure of the Meech Lake Accord, it's pretty much accepted that our constitution is unlikely to change much due to the difficulty in amending it. There are too many disparate interests among the various provinces. If the constitution were to get reopened, every province would be lining up to get some advantage out of it, probably at the expense of another who wouldn't go for it.

So, in practical terms, I believe we are 'stuck' with the GG as the head of state, and as the chief executive of Canada in exercising all of the functions assigned to him or her. Personally, I like it because it's pretty stable and it works. Unfortunately we ended up with one who was a human resources dumpster fire (to put it charitably). There are ways to avoid that mistake in future without opening up our entire system of government for a rewrite.

 

[Jarnhamar]

The Governor General also fulfills important ceremonial duties:

• Promoting a sense of identity.

She promoted the sense of identity for the LPC perfectly.

 

[Haggis]

There are ways to avoid that mistake in future without opening up our entire system of government for a rewrite.

Maybe not hiring your wife's underemployed friend? Doing a thorough background check on all prospective candidates, even if there is only one and your wife says she's good to go? Having a selection committee?

 

[lenaitch]

I have a sense that the next GG will be somebody most of us have never heard of before.

 

[Kat Stevens]

I have a sense that the next GG will be somebody most of us have never heard of before.

I hope so. None of the celebretards who have held the position have been worth a dead dogs fart.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

I have a sense that the next GG will be somebody most of us have never heard of before.

With any luck. That is actually how this is supposed to work.

 

[FSTO]

I have a sense that the next GG will be somebody most of us have never heard of before.

That goes against the very soul of the Liberal Party of Canada.

 

[reveng]

Is "Payette" French for "payout"? Because that looks like what she's getting. Her pension is a slap in the face to most who have ever served this country (military, or civilian)

 

[mariomike]

Her pension is a slap in the face to most who have ever served this country (military, or civilian)

Slap in the face to any working Canadian whose taxes are paying for it, and the expense account.

 

[Kilted]

Just to point out on what was said above, the GG is not our Head of State, the Queen is. Although Michelle Jean did try to call herself Head of State, Stephen Harper such that down right away.

 

[Haggis]

I am more than glad to pay Julie Payette a $150k a year to fudge off and never be spoken of again.

I don't think there is anything stopping her from seeking candidacy in an upcoming election.

 

[CBH99]

If I was forced to resign, and got a severance package like that, I would be crying all the way to the bank.

Civilian clerks where I used to work were vetted more carefully than she, apparently, was.,

"Payette resigned from her position as COO of the Montreal Science Centre in 2016 after complaints about her treatment of employees, sources allege. She received a $200,000 severance package. Payette also left her position on the Canadian Olympic Committee in 2017 after two investigations into treatment of staff, including allegations of verbal abuse, according to sources from the organization."

A $150,000 per year pension for life, and a $206,000 per years "expense account" for life.

She's in her 50's, and seems healthy, so she could be collecting that dough for decades.

This actually pisses me off. A lot.

I try to avoid really listening to political matters these days. Between the army of morons we seem to have in our leadership positions, the bias media that doesn't actually report anything fairly or in it's entirety, and a society that seems to be more polarized than I've ever seen it... I truly do try to avoid politics these days. (I blame the media - purely - for society being so polarized, as it almost seems that is their objective.)


But let me get this straight...we are REWARDING someone for a long string of behaving like a pompus, entitled b**ch - with what will add up to over a million dollars of taxpayer money. Am I understanding this correctly?

She treats people like garbage so badly she is not only dismissed from positions, but the behaviour goes so far as to warrant a variety of investigations. Position after position, she seems to treat people like dirt, and cause that workplace to be toxic & unprofessional - the exact opposite of what people should experience, especially in these types of positions.

Even her own detail, when asked by the investigators about her behaviour, stated that her conduct was unprofessional, immature, toxic, unproductive, etc etc.

So this is now the 3rd (or 4th) position in a row where she's been investigated & given the boot.... simply on the grounds of behaving like an entitled b*tch.


And now we, as a country who's finances are not exactly doing great, are going to REWARD this person with a healthy chunk of cash for the rest of her life?

WHAT. THE. F**K.


(Sorry mods, genuine apologies on the language.)




Does nobody in the PM's office (rhetorical question) have the spine to say... "Okay, she's behaving like an immature little tyrant & creating a toxic environment for everybody. We can't have this as someone who travels internationally to represent us. Time to dismiss her on grounds of poor performance."

And boom. Done. Bye.

I genuinely HATE how our so called leaders don't actually lead. They dictate. They play by their own rules. They break the law. They act like absolute morons. And when they get caught behaving in ways that the rest of us would just get fired for... we pay them a wad of cash as a reward.


<End of rant. Just pissed. Is it election time yet?)

 

[daftandbarmy]

This actually pisses me off. A lot.

I try to avoid really listening to political matters these days. Between the army of morons we seem to have in our leadership positions, the bias media that doesn't actually report anything fairly or in it's entirety, and a society that seems to be more polarized than I've ever seen it... I truly do try to avoid politics these days. (I blame the media - purely - for society being so polarized, as it almost seems that is their objective.)


But let me get this straight...we are REWARDING someone for a long string of behaving like a pompus, entitled b**ch - with what will add up to over a million dollars of taxpayer money. Am I understanding this correctly?

She treats people like garbage so badly she is not only dismissed from positions, but the behaviour goes so far as to warrant a variety of investigations. Position after position, she seems to treat people like dirt, and cause that workplace to be toxic & unprofessional - the exact opposite of what people should experience, especially in these types of positions.

Even her own detail, when asked by the investigators about her behaviour, stated that her conduct was unprofessional, immature, toxic, unproductive, etc etc.

So this is now the 3rd (or 4th) position in a row where she's been investigated & given the boot.... simply on the grounds of behaving like an entitled b*tch.


And now we, as a country who's finances are not exactly doing great, are going to REWARD this person with a healthy chunk of cash for the rest of her life?

WHAT. THE. F**K.


(Sorry mods, genuine apologies on the language.)




Does nobody in the PM's office (rhetorical question) have the spine to say... "Okay, she's behaving like an immature little tyrant & creating a toxic environment for everybody. We can't have this as someone who travels internationally to represent us. Time to dismiss her on grounds of poor performance."

And boom. Done. Bye.

I genuinely HATE how our so called leaders don't actually lead. They dictate. They play by their own rules. They break the law. They act like absolute morons. And when they get caught behaving in ways that the rest of us would just get fired for... we pay them a wad of cash as a reward.


<End of rant. Just pissed. Is it election time yet?)

If I were to get worked up about this issue (which I'm not because nothing surprises me anymore) I'd be more likely to aim my rockets at the person who hired her into that position.

Now, who might that be I wonder?

 

[CBH99]

Totally agreed.

On the surface, she's a "Canadian. Female. Astronaut."

Boom. Checklist complete! And to be fair, if an astronaut was nominated for any position I was hiring for, I'd take a look at them pretty quickly. And to be honest, I would probably be biased and think 'this person is extremely intelligent, well educated, worked hard to get there, and obviously works well with others given the nature of space missions."


But upon contacting her former employers & organizations she's currently with... if the consistent response was "She's a psycho b*tch and we're in the process of firing her" -- she wouldn't make it past the initial review.



So yes. Aim away & fire.

I'm moreso just frustrated that we seem to be rewarding people who behave badly, with more money than most of us are ever likely to see.

 

[mariomike]

I wonder how much compensation her alleged victims will be entitled to?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Totally agreed.

On the surface, she's a "Canadian. Female. Francophone. Astronaut."

Boom. Checklist complete! And to be fair, if an astronaut was nominated for any position I was hiring for, I'd take a look at them pretty quickly. And to be honest, I would probably be biased and think 'this person is extremely intelligent, well educated, worked hard to get there, and obviously works well with others given the nature of space missions."

FTFY

 

[dapaterson]

The intent was for the GG to be a terminal position, and ensure that the individual would be set for retirement and not forced into other careers, potentially incompatible with the vice-regal role, post appointment. Selecting someone mid-career has been the exception, rather than the rule.

(Similar stresses now with Supreme Court justices retiring and resuming the practice of law...)

 

[Weinie]

It will be interesting to see if any follow up stories of her antics come from CSA or NASA, both of whom are notoriously close-mouthed about their former employees.

I have been hearing, anecdotally, (for more than 20 years), from people I know and trust, that she is a rat-faced bitch. Perhaps Canada's over the top collective ass-kissing of her went to her head, perhaps she is just a narcissist. (or perhaps just someone who had her ass kissed too many times.)

We are well shat of her.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I wonder how many careers she's ruined or side-lined.