Montrealers celebrate Canada’s incoming GG Louise Arbour, who got her start in the city

From serving as a Supreme Court justice and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to being appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour, Louise Arbour has a long list of accomplishments. Now, she’s taking on a new role.

Prime Minister Mark Carney named Arbour as Canada’s next governor general on Tuesday morning, praising her legal work both in Canada and on the international stage.

“Her work matters in and of itself. It also tells us something about what Louise Arbour will bring to Rideau Hall,” Carney said.

But long before Rideau Hall was on the horizon, Arbour’s home was in Montreal, where her impact and influence is still felt today.

Arbour’s journey began at the Université de Montréal where she earned a law degree in 1970.

“She really is an extraordinarily inspiring person,” said Daniel Jutras, the rector of the university, and a former colleague of Arbour’s.

“She’s well known on our campus and I would say that the excitement is palpable today,” he told CBC on Tuesday.

In addition to her work in human rights and international law over the years, Arbour has also taken on roles as a mentor and championed causes close to her heart.

In 2016, she became the ambassador of the Mobile Legal Clinic in Montreal, which offers support to people who are unhoused in the city.

“She’ll always have a special place for people who are outside the norms of society, who are vulnerable, who are excluded, especially the homeless,” said Donald Tremblay, the director of the organization.

Tremblay added that Arbour meets with students at the clinic every year, and often advises the organization on legal matters.

“She’s not only someone who’s smart, intelligent, but who’s profoundly human and who takes time to give back to society,” he said.

Legal community, francophone association welcome nomination

Pascale Fournier describes Arbour as a “fearless” leader and kind mentor.

Now a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, Fournier recalls meeting Arbour while working as a clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2001.

“She would invite the law clerks and have these receptions,” she said, adding that Arbour made her feel as though they were the next generation of leaders.

Arbour’s appointment as the country’s next governor general is a “moment of celebration,” she said.

“It’s a big source of pride for the legal community, for the country as a whole,” she said.

“She is known for taking positions that sometimes are not popular because we live in a world where injustice is present. So if we want justice to really be meaningful, it takes courage. It takes someone who is fearless.”

Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre worked with Arbour. He says her appointment is a good move by Carney, in part due to her francophone background.

“I had nothing against Madame Simon, but listen, I’m francophone, you notice the accent. So I think it’s important for me as a Quebecer, as a French Canadian to be represented,” he said.

The appointment is good news for Liane Roy, the president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, which represents French-speaking Canadians outside of Quebec.

“It is important to reflect Canada’s values in both official languages,” Roy said.

Retiring governor general Mary Simon, the first Indigenous person in the role, faced criticism for her lack of proficiency in French.

She speaks English and Inuktitut, but despite taking French lessons hasn’t become fluent in that language. 

Simon, who is Inuk, has spent her time in office focusing on reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, advocating for de-stigmatizing mental health, diversity and nature. 

In a speech on Tuesday, Arbour acknowledged her predecessors noting that she is “very mindful of the legacy that I’m stepping into.”

She added that she accepts the role “with a deep sense of duty,” and that she will serve all Canadians.

“I will reach out not only to those who agree with me,” she said.

“I will reach out to anybody. I will listen. And I hope in due course I will manage to persuade particularly those who doubt my integrity.”