Who is Mary Simon?

Mary Simon (born Mary May Simon, August 21, 1947) is Canada's 30th Governor General since July 26, 2021. She is the first Indigenous person and first Inuk to hold the office and the third Canadian-born female Governor General (after Adrienne Clarkson, 1999 to 2005, and Michaëlle Jean, 2005 to 2010, both of whom were also of immigrant or diasporic background but not Indigenous). Simon was nominated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on July 6, 2021 and appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. Simon's appointment is regarded as a landmark in the federal Crown's relationship with Indigenous Canada.

Simon was born in Kangiqsualujjuaq (George River) in Nunavik, Quebec, the Inuit-majority region of northern Quebec. She grew up at Kuujjuaq, where her family operated a Hudson's Bay Company trading post. Simon's mother was Inuit and her father was a non-Indigenous Manitoban Hudson's Bay Company employee. Simon attended federal day school and the Anglican diocesan boarding school in Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit). She entered broadcasting in the late 1960s as a translator and broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Northern Service in Inuktitut.

Simon's diplomatic and Indigenous leadership career included multiple milestones. She served as President of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (then called the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) from 1995 to 2001, leading Canadian Inuit advocacy during the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement implementation and the establishment of the Territory of Nunavut on April 1, 1999. She served as Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs (1994 to 2003), the first Indigenous Canadian Ambassador. She also served as Canadian Ambassador to Denmark (1999 to 2001) while based in Copenhagen. Simon was the federal Special Representative on Arctic Leadership (2016 to 2017), leading consultations on a federal Arctic Policy Framework. She has received honorary degrees from several universities, the Order of Canada (Officer 1991, Companion 2002), and many other honours.

As Governor General, Simon has continued diplomatic and ceremonial duties (opening Parliament, granting royal assent, conducting state visits, presiding at Order of Canada investitures and other awards) while emphasising reconciliation and Inuit perspectives. Her installation ceremony of July 26, 2021 included Inuktitut components, drum dancing, and Indigenous symbols. She delivered her first speech in Inuktitut, English, and French. Simon's Throne Speeches (November 23, 2021 and December 8, 2025) have framed federal priorities for the Trudeau and Carney governments. Simon has emphasised Arctic policy, Indigenous reconciliation, climate change, and youth engagement throughout her tenure. Her appointment fulfilled a long-standing Indigenous demand for vice-regal representation reflecting Canada's Indigenous foundation.