On June 8, 2026, Louise Arbour was officially sworn in as Canada’s 31st Governor General in a ceremony at the Senate. The 79-year-old Montreal-born lawyer and former Supreme Court justice takes over from Mary Simon, who made history as the first Indigenous person to hold the role.

Arbour prosecuted war criminals at the international tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, including being the first person ever to indict a sitting head of state. That was Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, charged with crimes against humanity. She also served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In her first speech from the throne, Arbour laid out what she sees as the big challenges ahead. She warned that extreme polarization is dangerous, but so is everyone just agreeing with each other all the time. She wants Canadians to actually talk through their differences rather than paper over them.

She also had some pointed things to say about AI, warning that it’s blurring the line between truth and fiction and could threaten our ability to control our own futures. Strong words from the new vice-regal.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called her a “guardian of the constitutional order,” and honestly, given her track record, that title fits. If you found this useful, like, share, and subscribe! Want to help keep this content free? Consider grabbing us a coffee over at Buy Me a Coffee.

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