Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says she's spent the days since Queen Elizabeth II's death reflecting on the regent鈥檚 legacy, but now as the King's representative in Canada, she's also preparing for "difficult" conversations ahead.
In an interview with Senior Political Correspondent for 麻豆影视 Channel Mike Le Couteur at Rideau Hall, Simon said that she is feeling sad as she, like many Canadians, mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
She also spoke about reconciliation and the role she thinks Canada's new monarch will play when it comes to building a "renewed relationship" with Indigenous people in Canada.
Below is a full transcript of the exclusive interview. It has been edited for grammar and clarity.
Mike Le Couteur: Thank you so much for welcoming us into your home, we really appreciate it.
Mary Simon: It's my pleasure.
Mike Le Couteur: I wanted to ask you, because not only were you the Queen's representative in Canada, but you also got to know her a little bit. So in this week, and then leading up to her funeral, how are you feeling?
Mary Simon: "I'm feeling sad. It's been a difficult week, because we had have admired her, and watched her tremendous work for a very long time. So it's, it's always sad to lose somebody like that, or anybody for that matter. But I think at the same time, she's always been an inspiration for many of us. And, and to think about her life at this point, I think it's very important."
Mike Le Couteur: I also wanted to ask you, because just as recently as this year, you met with the now-King Charles III, and speaking about what it means in terms of the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous people. There have been some in recent days, who have called for one of his first acts, to renounce the Doctrine of Discovery. In your discussions with him when he was here in Canada鈥� how receptive would he be to doing that? And in trying to take that step in the road to reconciliation?
Mary Simon: "The one thing that I do know is that he is very open to discussing different issues with Indigenous peoples. And I don't know exactly how he would respond to that specific issue, because I haven't had that conversation. But, in a more general sense, he is ready to have that dialogue, and to continue the renewed conversation and renew the conversation that he had when he was still prince. And now that he's the King, he is ready, and able to be able to work more closely with Indigenous peoples."
Mike Le Couteur: How much of a priority is it for you to continue that discussion, the next time you speak with him as the new monarch?
Mary Simon: "It's extremely important. The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Crown has always been a very important aspect of that relationship. And we need to continue this dialogue, to resolve outstanding issues and to also move forward on the relationship. So this is one of the things that I'm very focused on, is the reconciliation between Indigenous people and Canadians. And that, in itself, encompasses many issues. And that relationship building between Canadians and the Crown, does include the King. And when he was here, he told Indigenous leaders that he is prepared to continue this discussion and this dialogue."
Mike Le Couteur: How was that received by people? And when you speak with Indigenous leaders now, do they want to see that extra action, and those extra steps forward now?
Mary Simon: Yes I've had some discussions, and yes, they are prepared to go that route and build a renewed relationship with His Majesty.
Mike Le Couteur: I also want to ask you that at this time, when many people are honoring the Queen and her legacy, there are some people in this country who still have a very difficult relationship with the Crown. Be it the relationship with the Anglican Church, which she was the head of, and their role in residential schools. In a week when we are reflecting on her legacy and honoring her at the same time, what do you say to people who maybe aren't feeling that same joy or aren't looking at her in the same way?
Mary Simon: "My message has always been about hope. And that it's important to continue the dialogue, no matter how difficult it is. And I think that as a representative of His Majesty the King, I'm committed to work to doing that work in Canada.
"It's difficult to speak for others, but there will always be difficult issues facing us in terms of building any relationship, especially between Canadians and other Indigenous peoples here in Canada. Those are difficult conversations and I think that in order to resolve these issues, we all we have to have difficult conversations and no doubt in my mind that those difficult conversations will happen.
"But for me, it's important to have that dialogue, to understand each other. That's what reconciliation is all about, is for me to understand you better within your own culture and your own language, as well as you understanding who I am, and what my culture is, and what my what my language is.
"And for us to be able to earn that respect, I think that understanding and those stories, we have to tell to each other. And this is probably no different, in terms of the dialogue we will continue to have with the King.
Mike Le Couteur: Just lastly, before I leave you, talk to me a little bit about that dialogue that the Queen would have with Indigenous people, because we know when she came, she would visit the North very often, and how fond she was of the North.
Mary Simon: "She was extremely fond of Canada, and its people. And in fact, she was always very happy to go to the Arctic, because she found that the Arctic was a very majestic area of the country. And the people are very generous in the North, and talking to the Inuit people was always, I think, a joyful event for her.
"It's difficult for me to relay whether she had these deep discussions or not because I wasn't privy to those discussions, but from what she has told me herself, she was very happy when she was in Canada. So, I take it that the King is also, because he followed his mother throughout her journeys in Canada as well, and has told me that he will come back."
Mike Le Couteur: Hopefully Canada will be one of the first place he visits.
Mary Simon: "Well, he was here recently. So you know, it's difficult. He must have a lot of demands right now, especially with the Commonwealth countries. So it's hard to say when he will come back, but I'm pretty sure he will."
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