Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour named as next governor general

Carney said Arbour gave voice to the powerless and “those whose dignity was denied, in places where the powerful preferred silence.”

“Across more than five decades, in every role she has held, the honourable Louise Arbour has carried the same conviction: That a free society depends on institutions being properly held to account,” Carney said at an announcement at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.

He said Arbour will bring to Rideau Hall sound judgment and the conviction that institutions are the “load-bearing walls of a civil society” and that they remain “trustworthy only as long as someone is willing to hold them accountable.”

“In a more dangerous, more divided and less civilized world, institutions are more important than ever,” the prime minister said.

The governor general is appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister and represents the Crown in Canada. Arbour is expected to be installed as Canada’s 31st governor general in early June.

Arbour said she acknowledges that she is accepting a profound responsibility by stepping into the role.

“Canada is a wonderful country shaped by its diversity of people of perspectives and experiences, but I think shaped also mostly by a common respect for strong public institutions and for the rule of law,” Arbour said Tuesday.

“Above all, we all strive to provide for each other in the spirit of equality and generosity.”

Asked by reporters about how she would respond to ascendant sovereignty movements in Alberta and Quebec, she said the governor general’s role is largely constitutional in nature, but there is a “space” for the viceregal to be “conducive of Canadian dialogue.”

“I’ve mentioned the diversity of our people, diversity of views, of opinions, of experiences, but all that, I think, in a spirit of respect and moving the country forward in an ambitious, united way,” she said.

The role is non-partisan and carries many responsibilities, some largely ceremonial while others are core constitutional functions.

Her official duties include swearing cabinet ministers into office, proroguing and dissolving Parliament, making appointments on the prime minister’s advice, and granting Royal Assent to turn bills into law. The governor general also serves as commander-in-chief.

Arbour will replace Mary Simon, who became Canada’s first Indigenous governor general when Justin Trudeau tapped her for the role in 2021.

Governors general typically only hold office for five years, and Simon would reach the five-year mark of her tenure in July.

Simon speaks English and Inuktitut but attracted controversy for not being fluent in French.

Carney had promised the next governor general would speak both official languages.

Carney spoke to Simon’s legacy on Tuesday as well, calling her a “steadfast representative of Canada and our institutions at home and around the world.”

“As the first Indigenous person to serve in this role, she’s carried forward a lifetime of advocacy for Inuit rights, for Indigenous self-determination and for the preservation of our Indigenous languages, cultures and identities,” Carney said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026.

Kyle Duggan and Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour named as next governor general

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