Posted Aug 9, 2023 1:49 PM ET
Governor Mary Simon delivers an address during the Canada Day midday show in Ottawa on Saturday, July 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
MONTREAL – The Quebec Supreme Court has ruled it can hear a challenge to the appointment of Governor General Mary Simon, who is not fluent in French.
Several groups are seeking to have Simon’s appointment void, saying the governor-general is constitutionally required to communicate in both official languages.
Canada’s attorney general had argued that only the federal court could hear the case.
But Judge Catherine Piche said in her June ruling that the governor-general’s appointment did not fall under any of the specific circumstances that would require the case to be heard in federal court.
Francois Boulianne, the lawyer for the groups contesting Simon’s appointment, says he expects the case to go back to court in the fall.
Justice pour le Quebec, which is involved in the case, says it will continue the challenge despite the death in May of its President Frederic Bastien, a historian and former candidate for leadership of the Parti Quebecois.
“It’s about principle, not about Mary Simon herself, but about respect for the Constitution,” Boulianne said in an interview.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 9, 2023.
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