Mary Jeannie May Simon (born August 21, 1947) is a Canadian civil servant, diplomat, and former broadcaster who served as the 30th governor general of Canada from 2021 to 2026. She is Inuk on her mother's side, making her the first Indigenous person to hold the office.
Simon was born in Fort Severight (now Kangiqsualujjuaq), Quebec. She briefly worked as a producer and announcer for the CBC Northern Service in the 1970s before entering public service, serving on the board of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association and playing a key role in the Charlottetown Accord negotiations. She was Canada's first ambassador for circumpolar affairs from 1994 to 2004, as well as a lead negotiator for the creation of the Arctic Council. She also served as the Canadian ambassador to Denmark from 1999 to 2002.
Simon was appointed Governor General following the resignation of Julie Payette in 2021, having been nominated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to represent Queen Elizabeth II. Her tenure included the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, a visit by Pope Francis to Canada, and the ascension of King Charles III following Elizabeth's death. In 2026, at the end of her five-year term as Governor General, she was succeeded by jurist Louise Arbour.
Early life and education Simon was born Mary Jeannie May on August 21, 1947, in Fort Severight (now Kangiqsualujjuaq), Quebec, to Bob May, who was from Manitoba and of English descent, and to her mother, Nancy, an Inuk. Her father had relocated to the north in his youth and became manager of the local Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) store during the early 1950s. He said that he was the first white employee to marry an Inuk, which the HBC banned at the time. Mary Simon's Inuk name is , which means "bossy little old lady".
Simon was raised in a traditional Inuit lifestyle, including hunting, fishing, sewing Inuit clothing, and travelling by dog sled. She credits her mother and maternal grandmother Jeannie Angnatuk for passing on Inuit oral history to her.
Simon attended federal day school in Fort Chimo (now Kuujjuaq), then Fort Carson High School in Colorado, and completed her high school via correspondence in Fort Chimo.
Career Early career Simon taught Inuktitut at McGill University. From 1969 to 1973, she worked as a producer and announcer for the CBC Northern Service.
Simon began her career as a public servant by being elected secretary of the board of directors of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association. In 1978, she was elected as vice-president, and later president, of the Makivik Corporation. She held the position until 1985.
During this period she also became involved with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada's national Inuit organization. Simon was one of the senior Inuit negotiators during the patriation of the Canadian Constitution, the First Ministers' conferences that took place from 1982 to 1992, as well as the 1992 Charlottetown Accord discussions.
She served as a member of the Nunavut Implementation Commission and as co-director (policy) and secretary to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
Diplomatic career She took on a variety of roles for the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC). First she served as an Executive Council member from 1980 to 1983, then as president from 1986 to 1992, and then as Special Envoy from 1992 to 1994. In 1986, as president of the ICC, Simon led a delegation of Canadian, Alaskan, and Greenland Inuit to Moscow and then to Chukotka to meet with Russian officials as well as the Inuit of the far east of Russia. In 1987 the ICC was successful in efforts that resulted in the Russian government allowing Russian Inuit to attend the 1989 ICC General Assembly held in Alaska.
Ambassadorship In 1994, Simon was appointed by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to be Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, a newly created position she held until early 2004. Acting on instructions from the Government of Canada, she took the lead role in negotiating the creation of an eight-country council known today as the Arctic Council. The 1996 Ottawa Declaration formally established it to include the active participation of indigenous peoples in the circumpolar world. Under her leadership, and later as Canada's Senior Arctic Official, she and its indigenous permanent participants worked closely with those of its seven other states.
During this time, Simon was also the Canadian Ambassador to DenmarkMary Simon becomes Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark (1999–2002), a member of the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission on Environmental Cooperation (1997–2000) and its chairwoman from 1997 to 1998.
Simon was appointed Councillor for the International Council for Conflict Resolution at the Carter Center in 2001.
Post-diplomatic work From November 2004 to February 2005, she assisted with the facilitation and write-up of reports on the "Sectoral Follow-up Sessions" announced by Prime Minister Paul Martin following the April 19, 2004 Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable on Strengthening the Relationship on Health, Life Long learning, Housing, Economic Opportunities, Negotiations, and Accountability for Results. From June 2004 to June 2007, Simon was a board member at the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
From 2004 to 2005, Simon was special advisor to the Labrador Inuit Association on the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement. She was elected president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami on July 7, 2006.
In 2010, Simon was reported to be under consideration for Governor General of Canada. David Johnston was ultimately appointed.
Governor General of Canada Nomination
The federal government began a search for a replacement for Governor General Julie Payette following her resignation in early 2021. Simon was reported as a leading contender for the post early on, given her Indigenous heritage and then-political consciousness on Indigenous reconciliation. On July 6, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Queen Elizabeth II had approved Simon's appointment as the 30th Governor General of Canada. She received a customary audience with the Queen on July 22, though held virtually (instead of in-person) due to the coronavirus pandemic. She was vested with special appointments as Chancellor of the Order of Canada, the Order of Military Merit, the Order of Merit of the Police Forces and the Order of St. John (within Canada). She also received the Canadian Forces' Decoration. She was formally installed at the Senate of Canada Building on July 26.
Simon's appointment was somewhat unusual, in that although she speaks English and Inuktitut, she is not proficient in French. This raised some complaints from Francophone Canadians for breaking the tradition of French-English bilingualism.
Tenure
Simon considers the concept of as an important theme for her mandate as governor general. is an Inuktitut word that does not have a one-word translation, as it encompasses many things: a vow or a promise to never give up, or a commitment to action no matter how daunting the cause may be. Simon said that the word was taught to her by her mother and grandmother, and is an important concept for Inuit. According to Simon, the spirit of drove her to get involved in movements to improve the lives of Inuit in Canada.
Germany visit Simon made her first trip abroad as Governor General on October 17, 2021, when she and her husband arrived in Berlin, Germany on a state visit. The trip was Canada's first state visit to Germany in over 20 years. During her visit, Simon met with President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Simon said she discussed with Steinmeier, how in fulfilling the role of head of state, to express and atone for the darkest moments of their countries' history—the Holocaust and the Residential School System. She also attended the Frankfurt Book Fair and a roundtable discussion on Arctic exploration at the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum.
Queen's Platinum Jubilee
On Accession Day, February 6, 2022, Simon paid tribute to the Queen in a message to mark her Platinum Jubilee. She said:
Simon and her husband met the Queen for the first time on March 15, 2022, at Windsor Castle. The Queen hosted afternoon tea for the couple. It was the first time that the Canadian monarch met the first indigenous governor general in Canadian history. Simon later said in an interview that she and the Queen discussed various issues like the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Canada convoy protests, and how they both recovered from COVID-19. Simon said she told the Queen that Canada's history books should be rewritten to reflect the facts about the relationship between the Canadian Crown and Indigenous peoples of Canada.
In May, Simon hosted Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on their Platinum Jubilee tour of Canada. During the tour, Simon invested Charles as an Extraordinary Commander of the Order of Military Merit at Rideau Hall.
Simon and her husband travelled to London from June 2 to 6, 2022, to take part in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the United Kingdom. They attended the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral, the Platinum Party at the Palace, and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, which included military personnel from the Canadian Armed Forces.
Simon urged all Canadians to work together, to "truly honour the life, legacy and reign of Her Majesty The Queen", and said that, to her, that is worth celebrating.
Papal visit On April 1, 2022, Simon released a statement following Pope Francis' apology to the Indigenous delegation at the Vatican. Simon said she was grateful to the Pope for his words, and hailed it as a "historic and emotional day for Indigenous peoples across Canada". She said that the apology is "one step on the road to reconciliation", and the Pope has "committed to visiting Canada to continue the reconciliation journey with Indigenous peoples on their own lands".
Pope Francis visited Canada from July 24 to 29, 2022, with Simon taking part in several events and activities during the papal visit. Following the papal apology in Maskwacis on July 25, Simon said, "Today was a day that moved us forward, giving Survivors words that may help them heal. Yet it is also a day that can raise complex emotions, especially as the Papal visit continues".
Transition of the Crown
With Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, 2022, Simon became the first governor general to serve under two monarchs since Lord Tweedsmuir in 1936. Simon said, "Her Majesty's warm welcome when we spent time with her earlier this year was a profound moment in our lives and a memory we will cherish forever". In a live statement to Canadians, Simon said, "Her Majesty cared about people, about our well-being. This was clear every time we spoke. She cared about Canada, and all the unique stories that make up our beautiful country".
On September 10, Simon signed the proclamation of the accession of King Charles III at Rideau Hall following a formal meeting of the King's Privy Council for Canada. In a statement, Simon said, "the Crown endures and thrives as a symbol of service, tradition and commitment. His Majesty The King ascends at an important time in history for Canada and the Commonwealth".
Simon and her husband were part of the Canadian delegation to the Queen's state funeral in London on September 19. On the occasion of the Queen's funeral, Simon said, "We were fortunate to have The Queen with us for so long. On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to thank our Queen, our monarch, one last time, for her love and her commitment to our country and our people".