'Canadians will fall in love' with new governor general

[Sy]

Michaelle Jean will be Canada's next governor general. The official announcement will be made by Prime Minister Paul Martin at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/08/03/gg050803.html

Michaelle Jean will be Canada's next governor general. The official announcement will be made by Prime Minister Paul Martin at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.

* INDEPTH: Governor General

Michaelle Jean (CBC Photo)

"It's obviously a very exciting appointment. Here's someone who's quite young, very dynamic, has a rapport with a lot of younger audience," said Paul Benoit, an expert on the Canadian monarchy.

At just 48 years old, the award winning journalist will become one of the youngest governors general ever, the third woman in the job and the first black person to call Rideau Hall home.

Jean, a journalist, is probably best known to English Canadians as the host of The Passionate Eye on CBC TV and Rough Cuts on CBC Newsworld.

But her television career was launched in Quebec where she has worked as a journalist, producer and host for the CBC's French language services, SRC and RDI, since 1988.

She has worked as a correspondent for Le Point, hosted Le Monde ce soir, L'Edition quebecoise, Horizons francophones, le Journal RDI and RDI à l'écoute. Currently she is host of the French-language documentary series Grands Reportages.

Jean has received many awards for her own documentary work including the Amnesty International Journalism Award, the Anik Prize and the Galaxi Award for best information program host.

Historian David Mitchell says Jean will play an important role, at a critical time in Canada's history. "She will be a voice for Canada in Quebec and she will represent the new Quebec to the rest of Canada very effectively. She has that potential and that sense, this is an inspired choice."

Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She left in 1968, her family fleeing the oppressive regime of Jean 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, settling in Quebec with her family. She is fluent in five languages: French, English, Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole.

A source close to the governor general selection process told CBC News "Canadians will fall in love with this woman. Her story, her nature and her character are nothing short of inspirational."

The prime minister will officially announce Jean's appointment on Thursday morning. She'll be installed as Canada's 27th governor general Oct. 1.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: 'Canadians will fall

Good, she'll be excellent in the position. I'm going to miss her on The Passionate Eye though.

 

[peapod]

I just heard it on the radio! Excellent excellent choice!!!!!!!! I love her. 8) She is also a accomplished documentary maker herself...

 

[Jay]

It's ridiculous. Who will be next Barbara Budd or Mary Lou Finlay?

 

[Andygal]

RE: 'Canadians will fall

Awesome, I don't know of her because I don't watch CBC TV but she sounds like a good choice.

 

[Sy]

RE: 'Canadians will fall

She does sound like a young new hip (and sorta hot) figurehead. Simply put I'd let her govern my general anyday!

 

[Jay]

:lol:

 

[Xdresser]

Gee, a minority from Quebec. Who would have guessed?

 

[Reverend Blair]

Yeah, never mind that she's an award winning journalist with a reputation for being fair and non-partisan, or that she a experience all over the world. Never mind that she's as qualified or more qualified than most of the names that have tossed out here and elsewhere. They must have picked her solely on being a reasonably good looking minority woman from Quebec. :roll:

 

[Canucklehead]

As a presenter I've never much cared for her. The stories she presented, OTOH, I thought were very well done. As a GG I think she'll do a great job but there is one aspect of her appointment that struck me.
I can see this politically motivated, cynical appointment potentially causing an increase in the anti-monarchy numbers and I highly doubt Martin will get the boost he's praying for from it, either. While I may not particularly care for the next crop of royals (read: Charles), the monarchy is an important part of our heritage(not to mention our very existance) and part of what defines us as Canadians, whether Quebec or anyone else likes it or not. I hope the idea of a Canadian republic doesn't gain any momentum from this, or worse, add fuel to the fires that are Quebec and Alberta. Why tempt fate with one of the few points of continuity this country has?!

But, hey. Maybe I'm being the cynical one here.

 

[missile]

Yes,she is a good choice for the job[but Peapod would have been a better one!]

 

[no1important]

RE: 'Canadians will fall

I think she will do a good job. I actually never knew she was in the running. I do enjoy her on the Passionate Eye. Maybe Adrienne will go back to CBC? ha ha

I thought Beverley McLachlin would of been a good choice as well.

 

[mrmom2]

I say quit wasting tax money on this bullshit position to begin with :x

 

[bevvyd]

I guess she's a great choice for a truly useless position. But I was glad to hear she will be conscious of her spending of taxpayers money.

 

[Jay]

I say quit wasting tax money on this bullshit position to begin with :x

Hmmm...I thought you liked Old World policies....


I like the position, I just don't think the CBC should be a breeding ground for the job....and the position should be filled by someone born in the country. Etc.

 

[peapod]

Her appointment speaks to the "open mindedness" of our great country. She is the perfect example of the opportunties this great country has to offer. She is a "canadian" she does not have to be "born" here to be one, anymore than a child has to be the fruit of your loins to be your child.



An award-winning reporter and host with a real passion for documentary films, Michaëlle Jean brings an insider's perspective to her duties as host of CBC Newsworld's THE PASSIONATE EYE: SUNDAY SHOWCASE, THE PASSIONATE EYE MONDAY, THE PASSIONATE EYE ON CBC TELEVISION and ROUGH CUTS.

As she introduces the best documentaries from Canada and around the world for CBC Newsworld, Jean also continues to be seen on RDI as host of the French-language documentary series Grands Reportages.

Since 1995, Jean has served as a host/reporter on many RDI programs such as Le Monde ce soir, L'Edition quebecoise, Horizons francophones, le Journal RDI and RDI à l'écoute. She has also dealt with challenging themes such as the Roman Catholic Church in a four-day debate entitled "Le Pape en France, pedophilia in L'enfance volée" and Chinese politics in "La rétrocession de Hong Kong à la Chine." Among her many awards: the Amnesty International Journalism Award in 1995 for a 15-part series on women; the 1994 Anik Prize for information reporting and the 2000 Galaxi Award for best information program host.

Jean has also worked with renowned filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond to produce three independent documentaries: L'heure de Cuba (1999), about the 40th anniversary of the Cuban revolution, Tropique Nord (1994) about being black in Quebec and the Hot Docs award-winning Haiti dans tous nos rêves (1995).

Jean joined Radio-Canada in 1988, serving as a reporter for Actuel, then the public affairs news show Montréal ce soir in 1989. From 1991-1992, she hosted Virages and for three years, starting in 1992, she appeared on the national and international news program Le Point.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haïti, a young Michaëlle fled François Duvalier's regime in 1968, settling in Quebec with her family. Fluent in five languages - French, English, Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole - Jean studied at the University of Montreal and universities in Florence, Milan and Perugia, Italy.

 

[Jay]

In order to be PM you have to be born here...

 

[no1important]

Re: RE: 'Canadians will fall in love' with new governor gene

In order to be PM you have to be born here...

No you don't.


I guess in 4 or 5 years the next GG will Be Peter Mansbridge?? :lol: as they seem to like CBC reporters/hosts for the job.

 

[Reverend Blair]

In order to be PM you have to be born here...

You seem to be having some trouble distinguishing between Canadian and US law, Jay.

I guess in 4 or 5 years the next GG will Be Peter Mansbridge?? Laughing as they seem to like CBC reporters/hosts for the job.

There's a reason why top journalists make good GGs. They tend to be intelligent, have a variety of experience, and be quick to learn more things. They tend to be largely non-partisan in their professional lives, understand politics and government both domestically and outside of our borders, and be knowledgable in ettiquette.

Since the job is largely a PR one (an industry that hires a lot of ex-journalists BTW), but has political overtones that can become serious in case of a constitutional crisis, the skills of a top journalist are a good fit with the GG position.

 

[Jay]

"You seem to be having some trouble distinguishing between Canadian and US law, Jay."


I could have sworn I heard about it on CBC...but I won't contest that I'm wrong here....I can't be right 100% of the time...just really close :wink:

I think you should have to be born here to hold the position though. Just my opinion….