What is the G-G except an overly officiated show piece? She has no power past ceremonial. At the very least she holds a semblance of independance from the political realm, not some Liberal lackey. Which would you prefer? I seriously think the right is making a mountain out of a mole hill on this one.
To say that she has no power but ceremony is incorrect, Pete. In a minority house, she has the power to act as a referee.
Anyway - it's nice to hear from you again. With no blog updates and no sign of you here I was wondering if your job was going to be the last of you. 
Curt is right. We have a situation
where, for the forseeable future, the
likelihood of a majority government is increasingly remote.
In such circumstances a strong Governor General, whose impartiality
is not in doubt, is absolutely essential.
We could be entering one the most difficult periods in Canadian History. An appointment that seems to be made for the purpose of getting the Liberal Government out of some temporary electoral difficulty in Quebec is wrong. It would be just as wrong if it was a
Conservative Government addressing some difficulties in Alberta.
The Prime Minister has too much power
over patronage. Where are the checks and balances to stem the abuse of power.
Surely there are Canadians who have a proven record of service better suited to the roll of Governor General.
Paul Martin: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that it is not Karla Homolka..."
At the time of this appointment a little history is in order. The Battle of
the Plains of Abraham, fought September 13, 1759, was a decisive battle of
the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War (a theatre known in the
United States as the French and Indian War). It was fought on a plateau just
outside the city walls of Quebec City in New France, on the land of Abraham
Martin dit L'Ecossais. Combat lasted only 30 minutes, ending a three-month
siege of Quebec City. Both Generals Wolfe and Montcalm gave their lives in
that battle, but the British won and North America came under British rule.
It is generally believed that the French lost that decisive battle, the war
and North America to the British because France abandoned the French colony
while focussed on wars in Europe. France left Quebec without the support of
France: primarily supplies and soldiers. Voltaire referred to French Canada
as "a few acres of snow". Could it be that the British Crown will lose its
historical role as nominal head of state of Canada because it has ignored
the Canadian colony at this time of constitutional crisis.
It is not too late for Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to reconsider his cruel slap in the face
of the families of Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte, James Cross and Canadians like myself who
were directly affected by the Quebec movement for separation from Canada.
The windows in my home and on my block on Elm Avenue in Montreal were blown
out by a FLQ post box bomb. Michaelle Jean does not deny toasting independence while seated
beside the leader of the FLQ, Pierre Vallieres. Pierre Valliere was the leader of the terrorist gang
who murdered Mr. Laporte by garroting him with his own neck chain and who dumped his body
in the trunk of a Montreal taxi cab. Whether or not Mr. Martin reconsiders that hurtful and
impulsive mistake, the time has come for an elected Governor General or Canadian head of state.
"frappe sucking limosine lib character of the man."
Ha ha ha, beautiful!
Ottawa — The debate over the governor-general designate's commitment to Canada is taking a toll on the popularity of Michaëlle Jean, a new poll suggests.
Decima Research found that support for the appointment by Prime Minister Paul Martin plunged more than 20 percentage points — to 38 per cent from 59 per cent — during a two-week period earlier this month.
Between the two polls, Ms. Jean and her husband, Quebec filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond, were compelled to publicly affirm their loyalty to Canada following allegations they were once known in Quebec cultural circles as sovereigntists.
The latest survey of 1,028 Canadians, conducted through last weekend, found that those who were unsure about Jean's appointment climbed to 39 per cent from 25 per cent, while those who were decidedly unfavourable jumped to 22 per cent from 16 per cent.
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