Governor General Mary Simon reflects on the Queen’s impact on Canadians and the world

Canada’s Governor General says she will remember Queen Elizabeth II for her commitment to service and her strength as a woman among world leaders.

In a wide ranging interview with CityNews special correspondent Lisa LaFlamme, Mary Simon says she is not at all surprised by the outpouring of love she has witnessed for the former Queen, noting that her kind and welcoming nature has been evident in the comments of mourners this past week.

“It was her ability to open her doors and make you feel like you can talk to her about anything you wanted to talk to her about,” recalled Simon. “I’ve always felt that about Her Majesty because I’ve met her in other locations in Canada. She once saw a pin I was wearing, it was an order of Greenland that I got… she came over to me and asked me what the pin was for, so we talked about Greenland.”

Simon, who was sworn in as Governor General in July 2021, is the first Indigenous person to hold the office and while she understands the complex and contentious relationship between the Crown and Indigenous people, she says the love and respect for Queen Elizabeth II is universal.

“First of all I have to say that the Queen is loved all across Canada, including Indigenous people love the queen and have said that over and over again in their own way for the past week,” said Simon. “I think when you look at the residential schools, the Crown-Indigenous relations, that’s at a level where you have to continue the dialogue – and she has started that dialogue and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”

Simon adds she expects King Charles to pick up and continue the progress his mother started to rectify and move forward the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous people.

“These are difficult conversations that we have to have as a country, and if King Charles can be part of that discussion, I think that would help us move forward in building a renewed relationship.”

Simon says while she is saddened by Her Majesty’s death she also feels the need to honour her legacy, both as a leader and as a woman.

“She was a very important leader, she was a world leader – not just in the Commonwealth and the UK and Canada, but also in other parts of the world as well,” she said. “In her day there weren’t a lot of women leaders and she showed everyone, all us women, she showed us it could be done and to convey that to all of us and to be so steadfast in her commitment, I think it allowed us to grow as women leaders.”

Simon is part of the Canadian delegation that will attend Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral in London on Monday which can be seen live on Citytv and all CityNews platforms starting at 5 a.m. ET.