As a human symbol of scientific excellence, Julie Payette is the woman Canada needs. When David Johnston was named to the role in 2010, many Canadians regarded the lawyer and academic as something of a throwback. Johnston is a first-rate constitutional scholar who takes our monarchist traditions seriously as a matter of both law and culture. Given his long list of university presidencies and prestigious government appointments, one might assume that Johnston was born into Canada’s Brahmin class. No one in Canadian public life has embodied these qualities more thoroughly than David Johnston.

Source: National Post July 21, 2017 20:03 UTC