Louise Arbour to be sworn in as Canada’s governor general

Live coverage of the installation ceremony of Louise Arbour as the 31st Governor General of Canada, hosted by CBC News Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton from the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available.

Photo: Bureau du Secrétaire du Gouverneur général / Premier maître de 2e classe Louis Dubé, Bureau du Secrétaire du Gouverneur général

Whatever she brings to Rideau Hall, Arbour will be the personification of an institution — at a moment when the country those institutions underpin is under unique stress.

Arbour will now affix her signature to laws and read the speech from the throne and preside over the swearing-in of new ministers. She will host receptions, give out awards and welcome new ambassadors.

But beyond the pro forma, a governor general might hope to do a couple of bigger things: to work, in small ways, to bring Canadians together and to act, in quiet ways, to build and preserve trust in Canada's democratic institutions.

Such things might matter all the more at present, when national unity is both particularly vital and potentially challenged, and when the basic fallibility of our institutions is so apparent when one looks elsewhere in the world.

In a speech to parliamentarians last Wednesday, outgoing Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said the role was the 'honour of a lifetime.'

Canada's first Indigenous Governor General has been in the role since July 2021.

She said that during her term, she worked to foster meaningful connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, including the King, Pope Francis and Pope Leo.

I have sought to be a bridge-builder for all Canadians. That is the true spirit of reconciliation.

– With files from The Canadian Press