{"id":269092,"date":"2021-01-26T15:15:38","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T20:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/issues\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T23:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T03:22:29","slug":"what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General"},"content":{"rendered":"

Governor General Julie Payette\u2019s 21 January 2021 resignation ends a problem-plagued tenure and offers an opportunity for reflection on the role. The denouement came after the completion of a third-party review examining the workplace culture at Rideau Hall after allegations that Payette and her secretary, Assunta Di Lorenzo, a close personal friend, consistently bullied and harassed staff. Payette expressed concerns amid summer media reports<\/a> by CBC\u2019s Ashley Burke of verbal abuse of staff, but did not offer her resignation until she had seen the independent review, which has not yet been publicly released.<\/p>\n

Dominic LeBlanc, president of the Queen\u2019s Privy Council for Canada, said the resignation<\/a> \u201cis in the best interest of the institution and the country.\u201d He added: it \u201callows the employees of Rideau Hall to have an appropriate workplace, and it allows a renewal of the leadership of this important institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Payette\u2019s resignation was almost certainly at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau\u2019s request, although neither Trudeau nor LeBlanc would confirm that. A simple statement that Payette had resigned is the course most in keeping with the dignity of the office. Had Payette refused to step down, Trudeau would have had to seek her removal by the Queen. There was no other option.<\/p>\n

Payette\u2019s statement of resignation adopted the all-too-common passive phrasing that avoids any admission of culpability \u2013 she noted that \u201ctensions have arisen\u201d at Government House. She also cited face-saving personal reasons for her departure, her father\u2019s failing health.<\/p>\n

In Canadian terms, the events are unprecedented, although an early departure is not. Governors general do not always serve five years. Some have served as little as three, others more than seven, and we do not always know the reasons why a term might be shortened. In the post-Confederation era, illness and death have interrupted some tenures: both Baron Tweedsmuir<\/a> (1935-40) and Georges Vanier<\/a> (1959-67) died in office. Rom\u00e9o LeBlanc<\/a> (1995-99) resigned early because of poor health. At times in the pre-Confederation era, Canada had a truly alarming vice regal mortality rate.<\/p>\n

The office can never be effectively vacant. In the distant past, the commander of the Forces served as interim administrator; now the chief justice of Canada\u2019s Supreme Court serves that function. Especially in times of minority government, it is essential that Canadians have confidence that someone is in place to fill the Crown\u2019s essential role with impartiality and good judgment, and there is every reason to think that the Right Honourable Richard Wagner will do that.<\/p>\n

Other Commonwealth episodes offer comparative perspective. The most germane would be the 2003 resignation of Australia\u2019s governor general, Peter Hollingworth. As Anglican archbishop of Brisbane, Hollingworth allegedly mishandled allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. A resolution passed without division in Australia\u2019s Senate stating that he had \u201cshown himself not to be a person suitable\u201d to hold the office, and calling for Hollingworth\u2019s resignation. Fortunately, Payette\u2019s resignation was not forced by overt legislative debate, which it might well have done had she resisted the inevitable. The Crown is too important an institution to be tainted by an incumbent\u2019s wish for personal vindication.<\/p>\n

In most other Commonwealth cases, controversies surrounding the Governor General have been less about the Governor General\u2019s personal misdeeds and more about embroilment in partisan politics. Episodes of that sort have arisen: in Antigua and Barbuda in 2014, in Tuvalu in 2013, and repeatedly in Papua New Guinea, among other examples. Historians, however, tend to attach less significance to such comparisons than do political scientists. This is because, even within shared Westminster traditions, each Commonwealth nation has its own political culture and history that inform the context of any dispute.<\/p>\n

In Canada, the 1926 King-Byng affair<\/a> is the most conspicuous example of a political vice regal controversy. More recently, British Columbia\u2019s lieutenant governor, Judith Guichon, was compelled to refuse then-premier Christy Clark\u2019s advice for a dissolution of the legislature when Clark found she was unable to sustain its confidence after the 2017 election. In that instance, Guichon correctly permitted the opposition to attempt to form a government, which it successfully did, rather than resorting to an election mere weeks after the previous one.<\/p>\n

These episodes are controversial because they involved the rare use of the prerogative of refusal of ministerial advice, a prerogative some observers erroneously maintain has lapsed. More commonly, such as in periodic controversies over requests for prorogation, the representative of the Crown has accepted ministerial advice. But the infrequency of the use of these reserve powers is no measure of their persistence in our constitution; reports of their death \u2013 which indeed date back to the 19th century \u2013 have been greatly exaggerated.<\/p>\n

The representative of the Crown is not a mere figurehead. Instances in which leaders resist accepting the verdict of the legislature are rare, but they are not unheard of.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These rare episodes point up the essential purpose of the Crown: to ensure that there is always a legitimate government in power, one that enjoys the confidence of the elected body \u2013 in essence, to preserve democracy. Our Westminster system separates the functions of head of state and head of government for that very reason. The representative of the Crown is not a mere figurehead. Instances in which leaders resist accepting the verdict of the legislature are rare, but they are not unheard of.<\/p>\n

The Payette episode raises inevitable questions about the vice regal selection process. In 2010, then-prime minister Stephen Harper established an ad hoc advisory committee to recommend a successor to the popular Micha\u00eblle Jean. The excellent choice of David Johnston proved the merits of the system, and in 2012 Harper\u2019s government announced that such a committee would be permanently relied upon to recommend territorial commissioners, lieutenant governors, and the Governor General.<\/p>\n

An abortive private member\u2019s bill, C-569, introduced in 2014 by Conservative MP Scott Reid, sought to systemize the selection process further, even as the bill acknowledged that the advice tendered by the committee would not be binding on the prime minister, and that the prerogative of the monarch to appoint and remove vice regal representatives would remain unaffected. The bill specified that, after vetting, the name to be recommended to Her Majesty would be announced to the House of Commons for debate.<\/p>\n

An open discussion of the advice the prime minister intends to tender to the Queen would, of course, make the Queen\u2019s prerogative of refusal moot. There is virtually no chance that the Queen would indeed refuse after the inevitable behind-the-scenes consultation, but this very consultation, along with the traditional discreet cross-partisan discussion, essentially reduces any House of Commons debate over a selection to mere political theatre. More recently, other observers have proposed similar open debate over proposed names, to which the same objections could be raised. This sits uneasily in a political culture that prioritizes transparency, but there are sound reasons why we have historically opted to keep the Crown beyond the reach of the partisan fray.<\/p>\n

Trudeau was not obligated to use Harper\u2019s comparatively new innovation to select the Governor General when he named Payette. And it is understandable that the opportunity to appoint someone with such stellar credentials would tempt one to impatiently sweep aside tiresome procedure. It is probable Trudeau followed the long-established custom of presenting opposition leaders with his choice in advance of the announcement; both Andrew Scheer and Tom Mulcair greeted the announcement with approval. That said, only his government is responsible for clear failures to note a personal history that included allegations of mistreatment<\/a> of employees in former workplaces including the Montreal Science Centre and the Canadian Olympic Committee. These should have been a deal-breaker for such an appointment.<\/p>\n

Despite a comparatively short trial, the non-partisan Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal appointments seems a logical step forward in Canada\u2019s tradition of gradual constitutional evolution, and will help us to choose carefully in future.<\/p>\n

The Payette episode, if nothing else, should teach us that the brightest and most accomplished Canadian may not be a fit as Governor General. The high expectations we have of our Crown representatives, the heavy demands of a constantly public life in which one\u2019s gracious dignity must never flag, the sound judgment needed to navigate often-ambiguous constitutional circumstances and to serve as a personal manifestation of the Crown\u2019s treaty relationship with First Nations, require a rare combination of virtues.<\/p>\n

And, by all means, let\u2019s ensure that the appointee taking on this burden knows what it involves. Continuity in staff is essential rather than permitting an uninformed new appointee to unwisely appoint a personal friend to the senior staff post at Rideau Hall, as Payette did. A Gary Clement cartoon<\/a> at the time of Payette\u2019s 2017 appointment lampooned a common misperception: in answer to Payette\u2019s query about what she would have to do in the job, the cartoon Trudeau answers, \u201cnothing.\u201d\u00a0 Let\u2019s make sure our next Governor General knows better.<\/p>\n

Gov.Gen. Julie Payette bumps elbows with Chief Justice Richard Wagner as she arrives for the throne speech in the Senate chamber in Ottawa, Wednesday, Sept.23, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Justin Tang<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Governor General Julie Payette\u2019s 21 January 2021 resignation ends a problem-plagued tenure and offers an opportunity for reflection on the role. The denouement came after the completion of a third-party review examining the workplace culture at Rideau Hall after allegations that Payette and her secretary, Assunta Di Lorenzo, a close personal friend, consistently bullied and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":278755,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-10-08T03:22:32Z","apple_news_api_id":"49004ca2-51b2-433c-8508-9d72fdd6baba","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-10-08T03:22:32Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ASQBMolGyQzyFCJ1y_da6ug","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9387,9359,9372],"tags":[8485],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[4212,4339],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[7123],"class_list":["post-269092","issues","type-issues","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elaboration-de-politiques","category-loi-droits","category-recent-stories-fr","tag-governor-general-fr","irpp-category-gouvernement","irpp-category-loi-et-justice","irpp-tag-gouverneur-general"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Governor General Julie Payette\u2019s 21 January 2021 resignation ends a problem-plagued tenure and offers an opportunity for reflection on the role. The denouement came after the completion of a third-party review examining the workplace culture at Rideau Hall after allegations that Payette and her secretary, Assunta Di Lorenzo, a close personal friend, consistently bullied and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Policy Options\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IRPP.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-08T03:22:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@irpp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/\",\"name\":\"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-26T20:15:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-08T03:22:29+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":700},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/\",\"name\":\"Policy Options\",\"description\":\"Institute for Research on Public Policy\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General","og_description":"Governor General Julie Payette\u2019s 21 January 2021 resignation ends a problem-plagued tenure and offers an opportunity for reflection on the role. The denouement came after the completion of a third-party review examining the workplace culture at Rideau Hall after allegations that Payette and her secretary, Assunta Di Lorenzo, a close personal friend, consistently bullied and […]","og_url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/","og_site_name":"Policy Options","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IRPP.org","article_modified_time":"2025-10-08T03:22:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":700,"url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@irpp","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/","name":"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-26T20:15:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-08T03:22:29+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/messamore.jpg","width":2000,"height":700},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/01\/what-the-payette-episode-teaches-us-about-fit-and-the-governor-general\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What the Payette episode teaches us about fit and the Governor General"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/","name":"Policy Options","description":"Institute for Research on Public Policy","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issues\/269092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issues"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/issues"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269092"},{"taxonomy":"article-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-status?post=269092"},{"taxonomy":"irpp-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/irpp-category?post=269092"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=269092"},{"taxonomy":"irpp-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/irpp-tag?post=269092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}