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GG Payette resigns 21 Jan 2021

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...)
Or it was a stepping stone to becoming the Viceroy of India. :)
 
I understand that the GG is a terminal position, similar to a PM or President. They are the face of the country in some respects - totally understand it is a terminal position.

However, that is on the presumption that the individual serves honourably & conducts themselves in a way that reflects such a position.

If one behaves honourably and kindly, and conducts their duties professionally. Absolutely.

If one behaves like an unprofessional little tyrant, is subject to multiple investigations, and is thrown out of every position they have due to being a bully & sabotaging the organizations they work for. No no...no absurd compensation for you.

Honestly I need to get into politics. I really do. I feel like I could do some real good in many ways. And if not? That’s cool. Pay me a gigantic amount of money for my incompetence & I’ll be on my way 🤷🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️
 
I don't think Canada would be prepared for the double body blow that would be reopening the constitution and turning into a effective republic at the same time.
I know. The current opinion is why re-open the constitution because everyone would have their own wish list and there would be no agrement and frankly the Cdn public is not clamouring for a change. But at some point I am sure whatever government in power will debate the republican option. BTW, I don`t foresee a double body blow. If we change to a republic it would be in name only. I foresee keeping the parliamentary system - no change. The only change would be that the President of Canada function like GG now, be an emminent Cdn (no celebrities) with a background such as former CDS, PM, Premier, supreme court justice, president of major university who might also oversee the Senate (I like the idea of keeping an uppper house in some form). I foresee the Cdn Forces enrolment changed to something like: I SWEAR THAT I WILL BEAR TRUE ALLEGIANCE TO CANADA, ITS LAWS AND TO THE ARMED FORCES. I WILL DEFEND MY COUNTRY AND PERFORM MY LAWFUL DUTY TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, SO HELP ME GOD. I`m not a a strict adherant to any religion but am a person of some faith and belief in a higher power.
 
I rather like the Constitutional monarchy. You don't see many commonwealth realms get involved in the kind of political instability that republics find themselves in.
Actually the British monarchy has had lots of upheavel: 1776 - U.S. Revolutionary War, 20th Century - IRA, 1960s - FLQ Canada, 20th Century - India, "2000s - BREXIT. Monarchies in general have had TONS of upheaval: Russia 1917, Germany 1914, Japan 1941.
 
Actually the British monarchy has had lots of upheavel: 1776 - U.S. Revolutionary War, 20th Century - IRA, 1960s - FLQ Canada, 20th Century - India, "2000s - BREXIT. Monarchies in general have had TONS of upheaval: Russia 1917, Germany 1914, Japan 1941.

Luckliy for the Royals, the French had a disastrous experience during their revolution, which helped ensure that the other monarchies in Europe were able to stave off, and crush, revolt by pointing to France as an awful example of what could happen when you let the mob take over :)
 
Paris: Great food and wine.

London: Overrun by Russian oligarchs laundering their money through the Channel isles with the help of London bankers.

YMMV.
 
Inuit leader Mary Simon will serve as the Queen's new representative in Canada, marking the first time an Indigenous person has held the role.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Queen has accepted his recommendation of Simon, a past president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization, to be the 30th governor general during a news conference at the Canadian Museum of History Tuesday morning.

[more in link] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-gg-1.6091376
 



CBC NEWS

Politics
Advisory council could strip Julie Payette of her Order of Canada
'Julie Payette has undermined the order of Canada and what it stands for,' says termination request
Ashley Burke - CBC News

Posted: July 29, 2021
Last Updated: July 30, 2021
An 11-member advisory council is considering stripping former governor general Julie Payette’s appointment to the Order of Canada after receiving a request from a member of the public. 2:34
As governor general, Julie Payette presented one of the country's most prestigious civilian honours to hundreds of accomplished Canadians. Now, an advisory council is thinking about taking her own Order of Canada away.

CBC News has learned the 11-member Advisory Council for the Order of Canada, chaired by Chief Justice Richard Wagner — who took over the governor general's duties for six months after Payette stepped down — is considering whether to terminate Payette's appointment to the Order of Canada.
Only seven people have ever been expelled from the Order of Canada in its more than 50-year history — and no one has ever been dropped from the order due to allegations of harassment — says Rideau Hall.

"Never has a Governor General been stripped of an honour. It's as simple as that," said Michael Jackson, president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada at Massey College in Toronto. "There is a long process and due process has to take place. If it happens, it will be absolutely unprecedented."

Rideau Hall received a request to revoke Payette's Order of Canada from a member of the public shortly after Payette's resignation six months ago. The complaint came after an external review found Payette had presided over a "toxic" and "poisonous" workplace that drove many employees to quit Rideau Hall or go on sick leave.

Former GG David Johnson first named Julie Payette an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 at Rideau Hall. (Christopher Pike/Reuters)
Rideau Hall: '... the process is following its due course'
Vancouver welder and public sector employee Giovanni Cormano told CBC News he filed the request to drop Payette from the Order of Canada. In his letter to Rideau Hall, he wrote that "Julie Payette has undermined the Order of Canada and what it stands for."
"For her to retain this honour would tarnish the achievements of Tommy Douglas, Margaret Atwood, Terry Fox, Kim Campbell, Leonard Cohen and Rick Hansen, to name a few," Cormano wrote in his letter dated Jan. 31, obtained by CBC News.

Cormano hasn't worked for Payette but argued in his letter that her alleged pattern of mistreating staff at Rideau Hall, the Montreal Science Centre and the Canadian Olympic Committee undermines the credibility of the honour.
Citing confidentiality rules, Rideau Hall won't say if it's received other formal requests to eject Payette from the Order of Canada.



According to the regulations, the Order of Canada is a gift of the Crown and can be revoked if an individual is convicted of a criminal offence or engages in conduct that "constitutes a significant departure from generally-recognized standards of public behaviour which is seen to undermine the credibility, integrity or relevance of the order, or detracts from the original grounds upon which the appointment was based."
Any Canadian can file a request to drop someone from the Order of Canada. If the deputy secretary of honours at Rideau Hall concludes that there may be reasonable grounds for revoking the honour, the complaint is sent to the advisory council, which makes a recommendation to the Governor General. The process can take more than a year.

The Governor General's office told Cormano it's taking his request seriously, according to an email viewed by CBC News.
"The reputation of the Canadian Honours System is at the heart of our mandate," retired Brig.-Gen. Marc Thériault, deputy secretary of honours, said in an email to Cormano on June 4.
"I confirm that the process is following its due course ... The review of your request may take several months to be completed ... you will be advised in writing should your request be rejected at any stage of the procedure."



Julie Payette was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 for being a "source of inspiration and remarkable international ambassador for Canadian engineering," according to Rideau Hall's website. As an astronaut, Payette logged over 611 hours in space and was the first Canadian to board the International Space Station.
Order of Canada 20180906
Julie Payette appointed more than 400 Canadians to the Order of Canada during her time in office. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

In 2017, the Queen named Payette an Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada to recognize her appointment as governor general.
The Queen released Payette from her viceregal role on Jan. 22 in response to a request from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
When asked for comment on the request to drop her from the Order of Canada, a spokesperson for Payette declined to comment.

"Right now, her focus is on personal issues and applauding Canada's athletes at the Tokyo Olympics," wrote Lise Boyer, an agent at JP Communications. "Mary Simon's appointment as GG should also rightfully be at the forefront of public attention and Madame Payette has no wish to disrupt that."
A 'vindictive' form of payback?

Some constitutional experts argue that revoking Payette's Order of Canada would amount to overkill.
Barbara Messamore, who has criticized Payette's alleged mistreatment of staff, said it's "undeniable" Payette has "already paid a high price." She acknowledged some might disagree, since Payette is receiving an estimated $149,484 annuity per year for life after leaving office.
"Her reputation really suffered," said Messamore, a fellow and vice-president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada. "I don't think we need to take the next step of being vindictive, of pursuing every possible way in which we can punish her for her conduct."
She said Payette still deserves recognition for her work as an astronaut.

Carleton University's Philippe Lagassé, who studies the Westminster system at Carleton University, said taking back Payette's Order of Canada would be "excessive."
"She wasn't dismissed," he said. "She did bow out of the position. She agreed to resign in the face of workplace harassment allegations. She had to deal with the consequences of that already."

Lagassé said the allegations against Payette have not been proven in a court of law. The external review attempted not to make findings of fact but rather to determine the scope of the problem.
Julie Payette was first appointed to the Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 for being an "extraordinary role model" to youth for her accomplishments as an astronaut and engineer. (NASA/handout photo/The Canadian Press)
Termination process confidential, says Rideau Hall

Rideau Hall would not offer comment on this case to CBC News, stating the termination process is confidential.
Rideau Hall spokesperson Lynne Santerre said in a media statement that the advisory council's decisions are based on evidence that "can include, but is not limited to, criminal conviction or sanction by a professional body."

"The termination of any honour is an extraordinary measure which serves to protect the credibility of the Canadian honours system," she wrote.
Some Order of Canada recipients have been stripped of the honour due to criminal convictions — which have included fraud, assault with a weapon and obstruction of justice — according to Christopher McCreery's book The Order of Canada. Other appointments were terminated over professional misconduct, such as making anti-Semitic comments or being disbarred from practising law, he wrote.

"There has been an unwillingness to strip honours from those who have suffered personally or who have made such significant contributions that their crimes are minor in comparison," wrote McCreery.
If the advisory council decides there might be reasonable grounds for termination, Payette would be notified and given a chance to provide a written response.

If the case makes it to the end of the lengthy process, the council would make a recommendation to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on whether to terminate Payette's appointment to the Order.
Simon is already familiar with the revocation process. She sat on the advisory council in 2014 — the year it recommended the expulsion of former media baron Conrad Black from the Order of Canada.
Black had been convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice in the United States seven years prior. McCreery wrote that the advisory council waited until Black had exhausted his appeal options.


Ashley Burke
Reporter

Ashley Burke is a senior reporter with CBC's Parliamentary Bureau. Have a story idea? Email her at ashley.burke@cbc.ca
 
I’ll believe it when I see it. That would be a pretty huge slap in the face, and she wasn’t charged with or convicted of anything. While I have very good reason to believe most of what was said about the work climate she fostered, revocation of honours is normally reserved for very egregious cases such as criminal convictions. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 on the strength of achievements to that date.
 
I don’t know.

I am not a fan of Ms. Payette. I became less of a fan of her when the revelations came out. But stripping her of her honours because she was a terrible boss and Governor General seems a bit much.
 
I don’t know.

I am not a fan of Ms. Payette. I became less of a fan of her when the revelations came out. But stripping her of her honours because she was a terrible boss and Governor General seems a bit much.
As one of the criteria for revocation is conduct that "constitutes a significant departure from generally-recognized standards of public behaviour which is seen to undermine the credibility, integrity or relevance of the order, or detracts from the original grounds upon which the appointment was based" many believe she has met that criteria. At minimum, I would support a roll back to "Officer" from "Extraordinary Companion".
 
Except there's more to it than that; a Governor-General is styled as the Principal Compainion while serving as GG, and as an Extraordinary Companion upon relinquishing the post.

Thus, although previously appointed on merit as Officer of the order, any talk of revocation starts risking infringing of the Sovereign's prerogatives.
 
Except there's more to it than that; a Governor-General is styled as the Principal Compainion while serving as GG, and as an Extraordinary Companion upon relinquishing the post.

Thus, although previously appointed on merit as Officer of the order, any talk of revocation starts risking infringing of the Sovereign's prerogatives.
Yup. I’d be happy to see her busted down to ‘M’ember, from (Extraordinary) Companion. She should be neither Companion nor Officer.
 
Except the "Extraordinary" attaches based on her service to the Sovereign and arguably flows directly from the Sovereign herself, which suggests that the Committee would have to recommend that the Sovereign, not the current GG, strip her of or demote her in the Order.
 
Personally, I could care less about Payette and her gong. It's meaningless when in company of people like Justine Bieber, or used for political favouring. I look at this much as I view the OMM. Most are deserved, but many have been handed out to some of the most incorrigible assholes in this country. I judge people by what I see and hear, not by what they wear on their chest. Let her keep her bling. The faster she is out of the news cycle and forgotten, the better.
 
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