Outgoing Gov. Gen. Mary Simon insists she took learning French ‘seriously’

Outgoing Governor General Mary Simon reflects on her time in the appointed role and her commitment to learning French.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, who is set to end her term next month, insists she did take the task of learning French “seriously,” despite criticism she faced during her tenure.

“I just want Canadians to know I did take (learning French) seriously,” Simon said in an interview with CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday.

“As much as French has been an issue, I think I’ve been doing the job that I was given to do,” Simon later said.

Simon was appointed by former prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2021 as the first Indigenous governor general, and is bilingual in both English and Inuktitut. But since her appointment, she faced persistent criticism from Francophone-Canadians over her lack of proficiency in French, Canada’s other official language.

Asked by host Vassy Kapelos about that criticism, Simon said “every Canadian has a right to speak out in terms of how they feel.”

While she said lessons over the past years have significantly increased her capacity to understand and read French, the “conversational side” remains a challenge.

“The difficulty and the challenge, has to with my age. Also probably, the learning curve, I think, changes as you get older,” Simon said. “I can carry on short conversations, but I still have to put words together in my mind, which is not something like a flowing conversation.”

But Simon also said while Indigenous languages are not part of the Official Languages Act, she believes they “are just as important as English and French.”

“I think there are languages across the country that are being lost, and to me, that’s not something we should just ignore. I think we need to do more for Indigenous languages,” Simon added.

During her first speech as Governor General, in July 2021, Simon said she was “denied” the opportunity to learn French while she attended a federal government day school, but added she was “deeply committed to continuing (her) French-language studies.”

Since Vincent Massey in 1952 — the first Governor General appointed at the recommendation of the prime minister — all governors general have spoken both English and French, though some faced criticism for their lack of fluency in the early days of their tenures.

Advice for successor?

This past week, Prime Minister Mark Carney named former Supreme Court of Canada justice, Louise Arbour as the next governor general. She will be installed on June 8.

Asked by Kapelos if she has any advice for Arbour, Simon spoke about reconciliation and being with Canadians during difficult times.

“I have felt over the last years that my legacy is based on the work that I’ve done on reconciliation, but also, a leader that stood alongside Canadians and to be present alongside defining moments of hardship,” Simon told Kapelos.

And as for what she will do next, Simon said she is looking to do some writing and work on mental health issues, saying there will be “more information not too long from now.”

“I’ve always been very passionate about mental health and the situation that Canada is in in terms of how well we’re doing in terms of looking after people that are in a crisis or dealing with mental health issues,” Simon said.

Before becoming Governor General, Simon was a diplomat serving as Canada’s ambassador to Denmark from 1999-2002, and an Inuk leader.

Simon also spent six years as chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, a multinational non-governmental organization representing about 180,000 Inuit people in Canada, Greenland and Alaska.

You can watch Governor General Mary Simon’s full interview on CTV Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET

With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyk