Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is using her role to help build ties between Indigenous people across the globe -- an effort experts say is leveraging a colonial institution to advance reconciliation abroad and bolster centuries of collaboration.
"I've had some very interesting dialogue," Simon said in an interview last month after a trip to Finland.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent the Governor General to Helsinki in February to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Finland, and to show solidarity as the country seeks closer military ties with other western countries following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Simon said that Finnish people are "more at the beginning stages of their Truth and Reconciliation Commission work," but added they are finding ways to involve young people that could serve as a model for other Indigenous groups. "She's in a really unique position to help Canadian institutions understand how to evolve to better serve Indigenous Peoples," said Max FineDay, the head of the consulting firm Warshield, which advises Indigenous leadership on international partnerships.
He suggested that Simon could use the colonial institution of Rideau Hall as a tool that helps communities upend the harm imposed by colonialism. "The Governor General can point and say, 'This is innovation. This is an extraordinary model. These are outcomes that we hope to see in our country.' shine a light on opportunities where our politicians, our civil servants, maybe even our Indigenous leadership haven't seen or haven't thought to look."
"Very few Canadians really understand it. I didn't, until I started looking at it myself in greater depth." "They can push a little bit further, whereas the Governor General must follow the advice of the prime minister," Tidridge argued, saying Simon's job amounts more to "soft power."
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