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Governor General Michaëlle Jean discussed the plight of her native Haiti with U.S. President Barack Obama, who invited her to come to Washington – an invitation that was not extended to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. American aides to the president who briefed the travelling White House reporters en route back to Washington Thursday said Obama and the Governor General exchanged "views about how we could be helpful to the government there in dealing with economic and social issues." "The president made clear that this is something that he did care about and wanted to confer and get the views of...

Canadian politicians got an early start on the Christmas break when Governor General Michaelle Jean Thursday agreed to a request from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament. Harper emerged from a two-and-a-half hour meeting with the Governor General, telling reporters that the House of Commons will not resume sitting until Jan. 26. The House had been scheduled to sit until Dec. 12. The first item on the parliamentary agenda in January will be a new budget setting out the stimulus that the Canadian economy needs in the face of the continuing global financial crisis, Harper said. He urged members...

Quebeckers embrace new Governor-General By BRIAN LAGHI Tuesday, September 27, 2005 Posted at 4:57 AM EDT From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Michaëlle Jean will become Canada's Governor-General today with an overwhelming amount of goodwill from young people and Quebeckers, and a historic opportunity to strengthen the vice-regal role in Quebec, a new poll shows. The poll, conducted for The Globe and Mail-CTV News, found 46 per cent of all Canadians — and 71 per cent of Quebeckers — think Ms. Jean is a good choice to replace Adrienne Clarkson as Governor-General. The survey also finds that Ms. Jean is extremely...

The prime minister of Canada had to reassure his nation this week that the woman he has chosen to act as the pinnacle symbol of Canadian unity does not in fact favor breaking up the country. Whether she had at one time espoused this, he did not say. He could nevertheless unreservedly declare to Canadians that now that she has been offered the job of governor general of Canada (with a household and travel budget that runs around $20 million a year) she finds herself – in her own words – "proud to be Canadian" with "the greatest respect for...