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OTTAWA – With Governor-General Julie Payette about to intensify public scrutiny following reports of costly renovations at Rideau Hall and the alleged mistreatment of existing and former personnel, there has been renewed interest in the role of the governor-general in Canada, and what happens if the user in that position demands disciplinary action or revocation?
1. Who has the strength to fire the governor-general?
The Governor-General is appointed through the Queen, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and as such only the Queen can simply fire her, that is what happens. But there are nuances to the situation.
If there is a preference for Payette to leave her office, a personal verbal exchange between her and the Prime Minister will most likely result in a resignation letter. If he disagreed or refused to leave when asked, the Prime Minister can simply call the Queen and ask for her removal.
But it would be a last resort, says Philippe Lagasse, an expert on the Formula of Westminster and the Crown at Carleton University.
“Do this rumor be worth having to weigh from the Prime Minister’s point of view if it continues as a controversy in the coming months?” He said.
“In an ideal situation, you would like this to be resolved in a way that both parties keep their appearances, which the two teams can agree without bringing the palace.”
2. Why is public trust in the Governor-General important when there is a minority parliament?
Technically, the Governor-General is Canada’s highest moment, after the Queen. That takes him one step further than the prime minister in the hierarchy of the Canadian democratic formula at Westminster.
This is because you would possibly have to make several decisions about government formation. It would be your decision, for example, to extend Parliament, to complete a parliamentary consultation or to dissolve Parliament on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, which would lead to elections.
In a minority situation, as is the case lately, the choice for a government to squar with the confidence of the House of Commons is more likely than in a majority situation, and the Governor-General becomes a key player.
This happened in 2008, when former Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked then-Governor-General Michaelle Jean to extend Parliament to avoid a vote of no confidence he intended to lose, a resolution that was debatable at the time.
“Any decision that the Governor-General may make in connection with extensions, dissolutions will be the subject of a critical eye and very strong, and if he has someone whose judgment or position on the government is somehow suspicious, it undermines the underlying order of things… you’d like it as much as you can, ” said Lagasse.
Since the Governor-General is appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, if doubts arise as to her ability to perform her duties, things can be even more sensitive when issues of dissolution of Parliament come into play, she added.
“What you don’t really need is the belief that this user is concerned about his paintings and that he will align himself with the maximum of the political party probably to keep him in power,” Lagasse said.
“There will have to be no doubt that he is inside or outside, in a different way, there need not be a belief that the prime minister can use the option of a referral to deal with the governor-general.
3. How sustainable is Payette’s existence for the Trudeau government?
“It can only be harmful, there’s no need for the Governor-General to make headlines like this,” says Barbara Messamore, a history professor at Fraser Valley University.
Former governor-generals have faced controversies over expenses and other issues, but Payette’s face to questions about her role in her three-year term to date has had a compilation effect, she said.
The CBC reported last week that thousands of dollars were spent on the design and renovation of Rideau Hall, some allegedly at Payette’s request, for reasons of confidentiality, accessibility and security.
This follows last month’s CBC report, which mentions anonymous sources, that Payette had shouted, publicly disparaged and humiliated employees, tearing some apart or urging them to resign.
The Office of the Privy Council, a bureaucratic operation that supports the Prime Minister and cabinet, said last month that it would launch an independent review of the allegations. Payette said she was grateful for the investigation.
And she’s been in the workplace since 2017, Payette hasn’t lived in Rideau Hall, the official apartment of the Governor-General of Canada, and she’s been criticized for taking on a declining profile in the position.
“(There has been) a normal drop in accusations and also, from the beginning, it turns out that he has felt uncomfortable for the role,” Messamore says.
“No one can deny that Madame Payette is an extraordinary and complete user. But those achievements don’t necessarily translate. In fact, it can be completed in a domain and not be the ideal user for that job.
Lagasse agreed, the idea that three years of negative headlines were expanding the tension for Trudeau and Payette.
“I think there’s enough discussion and damage that I think it will depend on the (Prime Minister’s Office), (Office of the Privy Council), if they haven’t already done so, and I guess they’re already doing it. whether it’s sensible or not to keep her at this stage.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 9, 2020.
Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press