People are going to be talking about Michaelle Jean for decades -- and not just because she once ate the heart of a seal.
The outgoing Governor General will be remembered for her role in the controversial prorogation of Parliament that kept the prime minister in power and saw the ill-fated coalition of his opponents dissolve nearly two years ago.
Constitutional expert Ned Franks said the decision Jean faced in December 2008 was unmistakably historic.
"That one will be in the textbooks for the next 100 years," the Queen's University professor told CTV.ca in a recent telephone interview from his Kingston, Ont., home.
In the end, Prime Minister Stephen Harper got the prorogation he sought, when Jean allowed him to stop Parliament until his government handed down its budget the following January.
Harper survived the ensuing confidence vote, mostly because the Liberal-NDP coalition that was supported by the Bloc Quebecois fell apart in the interim.
It was a decision that set a precedent, which Franks said "tossed it back into the hands of politicians" who could have voted down the government.
Jean, a journalist, had little experience in such matters before the eventual prorogation.
Though Franks believes she made the right call in what was "far from an obvious decision," many did not agree with her.
A second prorogation followed about a year later, though it was more to do with political considerations than constitutional ones, Franks said.
Ottawa's unease with such matters appears to have been a factor in selecting Jean's successor, David Johnston, an academic and trained lawyer with experience in constitutional matters.
While he thinks Johnston will make a fine governor general, Franks said the unexpected choice of Jean has paid dividends to Canadians and to the institution of Rideau Hall itself.
"I think we were very fortunate to have had her," said Franks.
Breaking down solitudes
The third woman to serve as Canada's governor general, the Haitian-born Jean blazed a similar path in some ways to her immediate predecessor, Adrienne Clarkson. Both women immigrated to Canada in their youth, became fluent in both official languages, gained post-secondary educations and enjoyed successful careers in journalism before moving into Rideau Hall.
"Breaking down solitudes," was the motto Jean held in office, which she used to refer to bridging the divides of many kinds, not just those between the French and English.
Now 53 years old, Jean was also the youngest person to serve as governor general since Ed Schreyer held the same position from 1979-1984.
Beyond the historical footnotes, Jean will be remembered for her personal warmth, her commitment to Canadians and her public charm "which I think overwhelmed a lot of people," said Franks.
During her nearly 40 trips abroad, Jean met with major world leaders, such as U.S. President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI, as well as many members of the Canadian Forces and the family members their fallen colleagues left behind in death.
Indeed, the vast majority of Canadians killed while serving in Afghanistan died during Jean's time as the ceremonial commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff recently praised Jean for her ability to reach out to "men and women who just lost a loved one and make them feel that their government, their country cared about them. And I think anybody who saw her do that will never forget the quality of her compassion."
In a farewell letter to Canadians, Jean revealed that the people serving in Afghanistan have inspired her, as "they answer the call of duty and help build peace, security and stability in a region of the world that has been shaken by decades of deadly conflict."
Jean said she "will always be grateful to them for opening their hearts to me."
The outgoing Governor General will also be remembered for the emotions she showed the public, particularly after the devastating earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010, which hit Jean on a personal level: It levelled much of the city of her birth and claimed the life of her daughter's godmother.
Jean visited Haiti within weeks of the quake, telling its citizens that Canada would not turn its back on them. And she thanked the Canadian troops who helped out a people in need. In a private moment on board a government helicopter, Jean put her face in her hands and wept after seeing the devastation up close.
The seal meat snack
For some, perhaps the most memorable moment over the past five years was the day Jean ate some seal heart.
In May of last year, Jean was at a feast in Rankin Inlet, a town of more than 2,000 in Nunavut's Kivalliq Region.
The Governor General helped cut the seal meat out with a traditional knife and she asked to try a piece of the heart.
A quick gulp, a snap of camera shutters, a wipe of a tissue along her blood-stained fingers and an iconic moment was born.
Jean called the seal heart "absolutely delicious" and she compared it to the taste of sushi.
In the final months of her service, polls showed that more than half of Canadians felt Jean had done a good or excellent job as Governor General. And almost half of those surveyed thought she should stay for another term.
Her fans and Twitter followers -- she tweets in both official languages -- will be relieved to know she won't be leaving Ottawa when her term officially ends on Friday.
At the request of her 11-year-old daughter, Marie-Eden, Jean will be staying in the city where she has been based over the past five years.
From an office at the University of Ottawa, Jean will attend to the business of her charitable foundation and a new United Nations job that will see her serve as a special envoy to Haiti.
And she plans to share her memories from her time as Governor General, likely in the form of a documentary. Her filmmaker husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, will be in involved in that project and Jean may also write a book.
"It's almost a duty to share them," Jean told The Canadian Press in a recent interview in which she discussed her time at Rideau Hall.
"You cannot just say: ‘Okay, it's been a wonderful journey, very intense, very unique, goodbye…you need to give back."
With files from The Canadian Press
