A list of Canada’s governors general since Confederation

By The Canadian Press Former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour will be sworn in as Canada’s 31st governor general today. Here’s a list of all who have come before her. Mary Simon: 2021-2026, Inuit leader Governor General Mary Simon poses for a portrait at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Thursday, May 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Julie Payette: 2017-2021 David Johnston: 2010-2017 Michaëlle Jean: 2005-2010 Adrienne Clarkson: 1999-2005 Former governors general David Johnston, left, Michaëlle Jean, centre, and Adrienne Clarkson, right, sit in the Senate ahead of King Charles delivering the speech from the throne in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Roméo LeBlanc: 1995-1999 Ramon Hnatyshyn: 1990-1995 Jeanne Sauvé: 1984-1990 Governor General Jeanne Sauvé reads the government’s speech from the throne in the Senate…

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