This remarkable woman, in August 2005, was appointed Governor General of Canada, this decision was a surprise to many people, she was not on the list of potential candidates and was not a known personality outside the province of Quebec.
Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada, presented her as follows: "She is a woman of talent and achievement. Her personal history is nothing less than extraordinary. And extraordinary is precisely what we seek in a Governor-General - who, after all, must represent all of Canada to all Canadians and to the rest of the world as well. "
On September 27, 2005 she took oath and served as the official representative of Queen Elizabeth II.
The speech she gave that day, when she began her duties, was decisive and very good, it served to consolidate her position and gave a clear answer to her critics:
"In this position I assume the role of Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, representing Canada abroad. My duty is to award outstanding Canadians, and to pronounce the" Throne Speech "on the day of the first day of each parliamentary session. I am responsible for calling to form a government if the incumbent government is deposed by a vote of no confidence by Parliament, among other responsibilities.
Since 1932 the Governors-General have been Canadians, before they were all British.
Michaëlle Jean was born in Port au Prince, Haiti. When she was 10 her parents fled the Duvalier dictatorship after his father was arrested and tortured by the repressive forces.
They were welcomed as political refugees in Canada and settled in Montreal, leaving everything behind and on arrival began a new life from scratch.
Her academic training was conducted in the province of Quebec, she studied at the University of Montreal and hold a BA in Hispanic Literature and Italian.
She developed a successful career as a journalist and as a television commentator on Radio-Canada.
Michaëlle Jean symbolizes this new multicultural identity that exists across Canada and the opportunities that are available for people in this country where a refugee girl, a descendant of slaves, born into the poorest country in the Americas is able to advance forward, and demonstrate her ability to achieve this most important position, representing Canada internationally.
