Canada’s current Governor General, Mary Simon, will be retiring soon. The head of state’s husband, Whit Fraser, was quoted by The Globe and Mail as saying they are planning their retirement this year. The Governor General usually serves a five-year term, which can be extended by another two years. Simon became Governor General in 2021 and is the first Indigenous person to hold this largely ceremonial position. Throughout her term, she has done a great job in the role. The following is not a critique of her work, but of the position itself.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy. Our head of state is whoever the King or Queen of the United Kingdom is. The Governor General is that monarch’s representative in Canada when the British monarch is elsewhere. The Governor General will earn $393,800 this year, and the role comes with a $150,000-per-year pension after leaving office. There are also many expense perks, parties, ceremonies, global travel, and other benefits. It’s a pretty good gig if you can get it.
Canada has been a country for 159 years. Our country is equal to the United Kingdom according to the Statute of Westminster for the past 95 years. Canada has had a repatriated constitution for 44 years. That said, our country is not yet mature enough to elect its own head of state. Short of more constitutional reform, current Prime Minister Mark Carney will have to appoint a new person to this position in 2026. This is a great opportunity to make a change to how that person is appointed.
The established convention for choosing the Governor General is that an advisory group appointed by the prime minister recommends a choice of Canada’s best and brightest (or a retired CBC personality). The prime minister chooses and recommends that person to the British monarch. The key to reform is in that advisory group.
Instead of choosing someone who has already made their mark on politics, academia, the CBC or some other elite individuals, which is neither inspiring nor uplifting, why not appoint an average Canadian? What we need is an average Canadian appointed as the new Governor General.
How would this panel discover who that person should be? Not through expensive headhunting firms — we’ve seen how well that worked in Cornwall and South Stormont recently with their leadership hires. There should be an old-fashioned job application process.
There should be some qualifications, of course. The successful applicant needs to have graduated from high school, have previous job experience, and be able to speak well in public — preferably in both official languages. The successful applicant should not mind being in the public eye — a skill-testing question is optional. The committee should narrow the applicants to a shortlist of 10, interview them, and present their top three candidates to the prime minister, who will then pick.
Who should be disqualified for the position? Current or former senior government administrators, former CBC broadcasters (for now at least), anyone who has earned more in a year than what the position pays, and anyone with lobbying ties to the federal or provincial governments.
Why the average Canadian? Many countries elect their heads of state based on perceived business acumen, political connections, or from the very rich. How has that turned out? Why not do the opposite and select someone who is an average, hard-working Canadian? Life-changing money, free housing for five to seven years, and a defined-benefit pension plan for their retirement — who wouldn’t want that job?
This may sound facetious; it is a bit — so is having a foreign monarch as your head of state in the 21st century. If we have to have one because our political leaders are not mature enough to amend our constitution to allow the direct election of our head of state — at least the role could help improve the life of a regular Canadian. Our worst-case scenario would still be better than how some other countries have done in the last 18 months. So what do we have to lose?
This column was originally published in the April 22, 2026 print edition of the Morrisburg Leader.
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