26337: (news) Chamberlain: Canada-Governor General (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By PHIL COUVRETTE

   MONTREAL, Sept 27 (AP) -- Queen Elizabeth II's new representative in
Canada is a refugee from Haiti -- the first black and only the third woman
to hold the title of governor general.
   Michaelle Jean, 48, is also one of the youngest to hold the office, the
highest in Canada's constitutional order. It is a sensitive if largely
ceremonial post, dedicated to promoting a national identity for a vast
country with deep political and linguistic fault lines.
   "I have come a long way," she said ahead of her swearing-in Tuesday. "My
ancestors were slaves, they fought for freedom. I was born in Haiti, the
poorest country in our hemisphere. I am a daughter of exiles driven from
their home by a dictatorial regime."
   Her critics claim she is a token and a pawn, picked by Prime Minister
Paul Martin to boost slipping support for federalism and his Liberal Party
in Quebec. Some say she should have been disqualified from the position
because of her alleged ties to Quebec's separatist movement.
   Martin has stood by her, calling her a talented woman who will bring
fresh perspective to Rideau Hall, the governor general's residence in
Ottawa.
   "Born in Haiti, she knows what it is to come to a new country with
little more than hope," Martin said when he announced her appointment in
August. Jean's family fled the brutal regime of dictator Francois (Papa
Doc) Duvalier in Haiti when she was 11.
   "She is a reflection of that great quality of Canada, a country which
focuses on equality of opportunity," he said. "She reflects what we are and
what we want to be."
   Haitian immigrants have been rejoicing in Quebec -- the French-speaking
province that is now home to 100,000 immigrants or descendants of the
Caribbean nation. Other immigrants see Jean, the 27th governor general, as
a symbol of what they or their children can hope to achieve in this
multicultural nation.
   Though once a British subject, the governor general -- who is also
commander in chief of the Canadian Forces -- has been Canadian since 1952.
   Bills passed in Parliament do not become law until the governor general
gives them so-called royal assent, but this is done on the advice of the
prime minister and his Cabinet and rarely does the governor general
dissent.
   Jean will also hold special powers to promote stability in times of
emergency.
   Outgoing Governor General Adrienne Clarkson was asked to extend her term
as the country grappled with the uncertainty of Martin's minority
government earlier this year.
   The divisive issue of Quebec separation could plague Jean throughout her
tenure, which is typically five years. A Quebec nationalist publication has
asserted she and her French-born husband were once known in Quebec cultural
circles as separatists.
   Though Quebecois narrowly defeated the last independence referendum in
1995, recent polls have indicated that if another vote were held today,
Quebecers might favor of some sort of autonomy within Canada.
   Jean remained quiet about the issue until the furor grew so loud she was
forced to issue a short statement confirming her commitment to Canadian
federalism and denying that she belonged to any political party or the
separatist movement.
   Jean also announced Sunday that she would give up her dual French
citizenship, which she acquired when she married French-born Quebec
filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond.
   The road to Rideau Hall has been full of roadblocks and challenges for
Jean.
   The daughter of an abusive father, she also survived cancer. Devastated
by her inability to conceive a child, she and her husband adopted one of
their own.
   Jean became one of the first black reporters at Radio-Canada, the CBC's
French-language television service, and went on to become a popular anchor
and narrator for documentaries.
   Most Canadians believe Jean will proudly represent their nation, which
was built by immigrants and is today one of the most diverse in the world.
Still, as she rises to the highest office on Tuesday, demonstrators plan to
protest and demand an end to what they see as one of the last vestiges of
their British colonial past.
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   On the Net:
   Governor General of Canada: www.gg.ca