Simon, Mary (1947-…), became the governor general of Canada on July 26, 2021. She was the first Indigenous (native) person to hold that post. The governor general serves as the representative of the British monarch, who is Canada’s head of state. Throughout her career, Simon has been committed to public service and supporting Inuit rights and culture. The Inuit form one of Canada’s main Indigenous groups.
Simon was born Mary Jeannie May on Aug. 21, 1947, in Kangiqsualujjuaq, in the Nunavik region of far northern Quebec. Her mother was an Inuk (Inuit individual) and her father was non-Indigenous. Her Inuk name is Ningiukudluk. Simon speaks Inuktitut—an Inuit language—as well as English. She grew up living a traditional Inuit lifestyle and attended a federal day school in what is now Kuujjuaq (formerly Fort Chimo), Quebec.
Simon began her career in journalism with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Northern Service in the 1970’s. In the years that followed, she held leadership roles in several Inuit organizations, including the Northern Quebec Inuit Association, the Makivik Corporation, and the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (later the Inuit Circumpolar Council). Simon helped negotiate the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, a historic land claim agreement signed in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit people of northern Quebec, the governments of Quebec and Canada, and several development and energy companies. Simon also was involved in negotiations that led to the Constitution Act of 1982. In addition to making Canada fully independent, this act recognized the “existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada.”
From 1994 through 2003, Simon served as Canada’s first ambassador for circumpolar affairs. She was the first Inuk to hold a Canadian ambassadorial post. During this time, she helped create the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum to promote cooperation among Arctic people and nations. From 1999 through 2001, Simon also served as Canada’s ambassador to Denmark.
From 2006 to 2012, Simon was the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), a national organization for Inuit rights and interests. From 2012 to 2014, she chaired the ITK’s National Committee on Inuit Education. In 2012, she also founded the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation. In the late 2010’s, Simon served as a special representative and advisor to Canada’s minister of Indigenous and northern affairs. She was appointed governor general of Canada in 2021, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Among other awards and honors, Simon was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1991, and to the National Order of Quebec in 1992.
