Approval Of Mary Simon As GG Is Lower In Quebec Because She Can’t Speak French

But she's promised to learn.

Approval Of Mary Simon As Governor General Lower In Quebec
Meanderingemu | Dreamstime
Contributing Writer

Mary Simon's approval rating is lower in Quebec compared to the rest of Canada, a poll released Wednesday showed, because the new governor general can't speak French.

An Angus Reid Institute poll of 2,049 Canadians found only 49% of Quebecers approve of her appointment compared to 74% of respondents in the rest of the country.

"Despite being from Nunavik (the Inuit homeland in Northern Quebec), and having been awarded the [province's] highest distinction, many Quebecers remain unconvinced Mary Simon is the best choice for governor general due to her lack of fluency in French," stated the Angus Reid Institute.

"Support is cleaved along linguistic divides in the only majority Francophone province in Canada," it continued, as only 40% of Quebecers whose first language is French approve of her appointment compared to 81% of English speakers.

Though Simon, the country's first Indigenous governor general, is not currently fluent in French, she has promised to learn, Angus Reid stated.

  • Ezra Black
  • Contributing Writer

    Ezra Black is a contributing writer for MTL Blog. He was born and raised in Montreal and loves the city and its amazing people. Feel free to reach out: ezrablack@mtlblog.com

How the average Quebec salary stacks up to other provinces in 2026

Plenty of provinces are taking home more. 💰