By Alessia Passafiume Nunavik, where Gov. Gen. Mary Simon grew up, is a long way from Ottawa and farther still from Buckingham Palace. That never stopped her mother Nancy May, a unilingual Inuk, from keeping a photo of Queen Elizabeth on prominent display in their family home, or from filling young Mary Simon’s mind with stories about the Queen’s activities and travels. In 2021, at the age of 73, Simon’s relationship with the Queen became something more personal when she was named her official representative in Canada — making her the first Indigenous person to be appointed to the role. “I really always loved the Queen,” Simon told The Canadian Press in the drawing room of Rideau Hall. “The Queen was always there.” Simon, who has for years championed Canada’s…
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