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PrintWho and what does the Governor General think she is?
Michaëlle Jean, as the Prime Minister's Office correctly noted, is in error in referring to herself as head of state. She is in fact the Queen's representative.
TORONTO—It is common for the occupants of political institutions to expand the importance of their office. Speaking in Paris at an executive meeting of UNESCO last month, Michaëlle Jean referred to herself as Canada's head of state. Her predecessors, Adrienne Clarkson and Romeo LeBlanc—he in Morocco a decade ago—apparently had said the same thing in describing themselves. At best, this is careless, at worst it is hubris. Excessive speech comes easily in a foreign setting where others may not know exactly who you are or what you represent. Self-puffery is inconsistent however with Canadians' reputation for self-deprecating modesty.
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Who and what does the Governor General think she is?
Michaëlle Jean, as the Prime Minister's Office correctly noted, is in error in referring to herself as head of state. She is in fact the Queen's representative.
TORONTO—It is common for the occupants of political institutions to expand the importance of their office. Speaking in Paris at an executive meeting of UNESCO last month, Michaëlle Jean referred to herself as Canada's head of state. Her predecessors, Adrienne Clarkson and Romeo LeBlanc—he in Morocco a decade ago—apparently had said the same thing in describing themselves. At best, this is careless, at worst it is hubris. Excessive speech comes easily in a foreign setting where others may not know exactly who you are or what you represent. Self-puffery is inconsistent however with Canadians' reputation for self-deprecating modesty.
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