Skepticism of celebrity should be a key factor in governor general pick, former advisory panel member says | CBC News
When an advisory committee was tasked with helping to find a new governor general in 2010, it was urged to look closely at each candidate’s “judgment and temperament,” and to be skeptical of “simple celebrity,” a former member says.
Rainer Knopff, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Calgary, said he thinks such a committee — like the one created then by the Stephen Harper government — should be re-established.
His comments follow the resignation of Julie Payette as governor general. The former astronaut left the post after a workplace review found she presided over a toxic work environment at Rideau Hall.
“We took our time doing it thoroughly,” Knopff said in an email to CBC News. “We were to prioritize substantially accomplished people,…
