The US knows full well what I’m talking about, but I’m not referring to the US. This is about Canada, where the Governor General Julie Payette (a former astronaut) has resigned in disgrace. There has never been a situation like this in over 150 years.
The Governor General is the “liaison” between the prime minister and the crown in England. It’s not just a ceremonial position, the GG has actual powers which include forming and dissolving parliament. In the case of a non-confidence vote (the opposition parties collectively vote out the ruling party) the GG can either call a new election or ask the second largest party to form a coalition government. And with Trudeau’s liberals being a minority government mired in the likely worst political scandal since Fred Rose, both are real possibilities.
From the Canadian government’s own website, a list of some of the GG’s duties:
Canada is a constitutional monarchy, where the duties of head of State and head of government are distinct. The governor general exercises the powers and responsibilities of the Head of State, Her Majesty The Queen. As such, the governor general is non-partisan and apolitical.
As The Queen’s representative in Canada, the governor general has a number of responsibilities, one of the most important being to ensure that Canada always has a prime minister and a government in place that has the confidence of Parliament. The governor general’s other constitutional duties include:
- swearing into office the prime minister, Cabinet ministers and the chief justice of Canada;
- summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament;
- delivering the Speech from the Throne;
- granting Royal Assent to acts of Parliament;
- appointing members of the Privy Council, lieutenant governors and certain judges, on the advice of the prime minister; and
- signing into effect official documents, such as orders-in-council.
Dustbin Trudeau nominated Payette for the GG position based on her fame, instead of taking recommendations from experienced civil servants. He needs to take personal responsibility, but glory hound that he is, I bet he’ll try to blame “poor advice from others”.
Payette stepping down as governor general after blistering report on Rideau Hall work environment
Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette and her secretary, Assunta di Lorenzo, are resigning after an outside workplace review of Rideau Hall found that the pair presided over a toxic work environment.
Last year, an independent consulting firm was hired by the Privy Council Office (PCO) to review reports that Payette was responsible for workplace harassment at Rideau Hall.
Sources who were briefed on the consulting firm’s report told CBC News that its conclusions were damning.
[. . .]
In a media statement announcing her departure, Payette apologized for what she called the “tensions” at Rideau Hall in recent months, saying that everyone has “a right to a healthy and safe work environment.”
“Tensions”? The only tensions were the ones she created. Her pathetic resignation statement is a classic not-pology of a narcissist, refusing to take any responsibility for her own actions, blaming and inferring that others were at fault. Her resignation is the bare minimum.
Dustbin Trudeau’s resignation should quickly follow. He is a disgrace.
From CTV:
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Given her subsequent behaviour I have trouble understanding how Payette managed to take part in two space missions, where privacy is all but none existent, and personal quirks aren’t catered to. She does not seem to be a team player.
She may play well with equals. Every astronaut has to be an overachiever and unwilling to tolerate crap from co-workers. In that kind of environment she probably performs brilliantly.
She does not seem to be a team player.
Not necessarily true. It may depend on the definition of “team”. Think of a hockey team—can you tell I am Canadian—where a great team player on the ice and with other players could be a complete ass when dealing with the support staff.
Dustbin Trudeau’s resignation should quickly follow. He is a disgrace.
Don’t be ridiculous.
Trudeau is gaffe-prone and rather (very?) dozy on international affairs but he has been doing a good job on internal matters, actually quite well on the Covid-19 file given that he has to deal with the likes of François Legault, Doug Ford and Jason Kenny, any of whom, if commissioned to organize a piss-up in a brewery, would manage to burn the building down while saying that there was no need to call the fire department.
The chance of getting a homophobic, racist fool like O’Toole who has had fairly close contact with Ezra Levant of Rebel News and had been tolerating a racist, misogynist, homophobic, religious nutter like Derek Sloan in the Conservative Party is not something we want to contemplate at any time but especially in the middle of a pandemic. Try googling “Theresa Tam Derek Sloan” for more on Sloan.
For non-Canadian readers, François Legault is Premier of Québec, Doug Ford is Premier of Ontario, and Jason Kenny is Premier of Alberta.
The GG appointment was again a stupid move, presumably on Trudeau’s part, but no one has ever, AFAIK, suggested any impropriety in the performance of her official duties. She may well be the boss from hell and reports for the last two or three years seem to say she is, but she shows up on time and sober.
Don’t forget too, she is a woman. The misogynist right will magnify any fault to attack. Adrienne Clarkson and
Michaëlle Jean both got a lot of flack that I don’t remember any male GGs getting.
Female and an opportunity to attack Trudeau for whom many Cons have a visceral hatred? Oh my!