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OTTAWA, ON, June 8, 2026 /CNW/ – Canada’s 31st governor general, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, was installed during a ceremony in the Senate Chamber, in Ottawa, earlier today.
The installation ceremony was followed by a presentation of military honours, the inspection of a guard of honour and laid flowers at the National War Memorial.
“As I take on my new role, I am mindful of the privilege given to me to go out and meet with Canadians across this country and to discover the wealth of ideas and ideals that inspire them. I am preparing myself to be surprised and to confront my own stereotypes and unconscious biases (…) I can’t wait to learn and share with you my thoughts on the joy of discovering others. And when I am called upon to represent Canada beyond our borders or to welcome foreign dignitaries here at home, it is this diversity of Canadian voices that I intend to showcase.” Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada
Governor General Arbour then made her way to Rideau Hall, where she was welcomed by her family and by staff members of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, along with a guard of honour of the Governor General’s Foot Guards (GGFG).
Born in Montréal, Quebec, she studied at Collège Regina Assumpta and earned her Licentiate in Law (LL.L.) from the Université de Montréal in 1970. She later completed graduate studies at the University of Ottawa while clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Honourable Justice Louis-Philippe Pigeon. She was called to the Quebec Bar in 1971, and to the Ontario Bar in 1977.
Ms. Arbour’s distinguished career has spanned academia, the judiciary, international criminal law and global human rights leadership. From 1972 to 1973, she was a research officer at the Law Reform Commission of Canada. She then joined Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, where she taught and later became associate dean, gaining recognition for her scholarship in criminal law, public law and civil liberties.
Her judicial career began in 1987, with her appointment to the Supreme Court of Ontario. Three years later, she was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. In 1995, she led the Commission of inquiry into certain events at the Prison for Women in Kingston. The commission’s 1996 report became a landmark in Canadian corrections, reinforcing the rule of law and shaping long-term reforms, particularly for women’s institutions.
From 1996 to 1999, Ms. Arbour served as chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In this role, she strengthened the tribunals’ effectiveness through innovations such as sealed indictments and advanced enforcement efforts, including the indictment of Serbian president Slobodan Milošević—the first indictment of a sitting head of State by an international tribunal. Her tenure also contributed to major jurisprudential advances, including recognition in international law that sexual violence can constitute an act of genocide and a crime against humanity.
Ms. Arbour was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999, and served until 2004, contributing to important decisions in constitutional and criminal law and advancing a principled approach to the interpretation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
From 2004 to 2008, Ms. Arbour was the United Nations (UN) high commissioner for Human Rights, focusing on accountability, institutional reform and stronger global human rights mechanisms. She later served as president and chief executive officer of the International Crisis Group from 2009 to 2014, and as special representative of the UN Secretary-General for International Migration from 2017 to 2018, where she helped guide global migration policy.
From 2021 to 2022, Ms. Arbour led an independent review of Canada’s Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, where she recommended wide-ranging reforms to address sexual misconduct and institutional culture. She has been senior counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP since 2015.
In recognition of her contributions, Ms. Arbour has received numerous awards and honours, including the Tang Prize in Rule of Law and the O’Connor Justice Prize. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada and a Grande officière de l’Ordre national du Québec. She holds 42 honorary doctorates from universities in Canada and abroad.
Re-watch the Installation ceremony
Canadians who missed the ceremony can watch it on Canadian Heritage’s website.
Quick facts:
- The new governor general is also Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor of the Order of Military Merit and Chancellor of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.
- The installation of a new governor general is a historic moment reflecting our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.
- The event was organized by the Department of Canadian Heritage as the federal department responsible for state ceremonies, including the installation ceremony for governors general.
Related links
- More information of Canada’s 31st governor general
- The Governor General Designate and the installation
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SOURCE Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
lead photo Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., G.O.Q., C.D., Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. PO 2 Louis Dubé, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2026
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