Indigenous leaders praised Ms. Simon as a skilled diplomat who was well placed to champion Indigenous concerns and mediate between the country’s disparate groups. While leaders across the political spectrum applauded her appointment as an important moment for Indigenous rights, Ms. Simon’s lack of fluent French, one of Canada’s official languages, was noted by some media in her native Quebec. In the speech, she herself acknowledged her lack of fluency in French, which she said was due to the lack of French education at her school. She said she would continue studying French and planned to conduct the business of the governor general in both English and French, as well as Inuktitut, one of many Indigenous languages spoken across the country. Ms. Simon said she had been deeply formed by her Indigenous upbringing.

Source: New York Times July 06, 2021 18:52 UTC