Six Nations Congratulates First Indigenous Governor General Mary Simon
On July 6, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of Mary Simon as Canada’s 30th Governor General.
Six Nations of the Grand River offers our congratulations and best wishes to Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General, Mary Simon, Ningiukadluk.
A leader from the Inuit community, Ms. Simon grew up in Nunavik and has long been a voice for Indigenous peoples. Having served as the first Inuk Canadian Ambassador, she was also involved in the establishment of Nunavut Territory and was a senior Inuit negotiator working on Canadian constitutional reform in the early ‘80s. Later serving as President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Canadian national Inuit association, and as Secretary to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, she is a dedicated and experienced voice for Inuit culture and rights.
Six Nations is pleased that an Indigenous person has been chosen as the new Governor General, and that she is bilingual in Inuktitut and English. Her appointment is an affirmation of the importance of our heritage of Indigenous languages. Appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the Governor General will also be a strong voice on the importance of Crown-Indigenous relations.
Ms. Simon’s many years of public service to Canada, the Inuit community, and to Indigenous peoples more broadly are a demonstration of her strong leadership qualities and her commitment to advancing reconciliation. Six Nations is confident in Ms. Simon’s abilities to thrive in this new role.