OTTAWA -- Mary Simon will officially become Canada's governor general later this month.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Simon, an Inuk leader and former Canadian diplomat, as his choice to be the Queen's representative in Canada last week.
Canadian Heritage says the July 26 installation ceremony is where Simon will become Canada's 30th governor general -- the first Indigenous person to serve in the role.
The appointment came amid grief and anger at the federal government over the historic and current treatment of Indigenous people in Canada after several First Nations used ground-penetrating radar to find the unmarked graves of children at former residential schools.
She also enters Rideau Hall after her predecessor, former astronaut Julie Payette, resigned in January following an external review that found the office to have become a toxic workplace.
Speculation also swirls that once on the job, Simon could soon be visited by Trudeau recommending that she dissolve the minority Parliament and trigger an election.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2021
