Jean puts imprint on swearing-in

Michaelle Jean, a 48-year-old journalist, will be sworn in as Canada's 27th governor general today, succeeding Adrienne Clarkson, who bade farewell to officials on Parliament Hill yesterday.

During a ceremony rich in history and pageantry, the 48-year-old journalist is expected to articulate a passionate attachment to her adopted country in hopes, among other things, of putting to rest once and for all any lingering suspicions about her alleged sovereigntists sympathies.

Jean's inaugural speech, her first public comment since her appointment was announced in early August, is the centrepiece of a day she has helped choreograph from start to finish.

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A House of Commons security guard keeps watch on props setup in the Hall of Honor on Parliament Hill for the swearing in of Governor General designate Michaelle Jean.

Canadian Press

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Officials say Jean had a hand in everything from picking the performing artists for the morning swearing-in ceremony on Parliament Hill to agreeing to allow outgoing Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and her husband John Ralston Saul to join other guests in the Senate chamber for the ritual transfer of power.

The custom for more than 100 years has been for the departing governor general to depart before the investiture of his or her successor.

The former CBC journalist has chosen to lace the ceremony on Parliament Hill with performances by artists from Cape Breton and Montreal to Winnipeg and Edmonton as part of an effort to shine a light on Canada's cultural richness. Officials say her Haitian ancestry also will be celebrated at the ceremony, although they refused to be more specific.

Some of today's suspense revolves around what the new governor general will be wearing.

In a surprise twist late last week, she cancelled her order for three new outfits to round out her inaugural wardrobe after Montreal designer Yves Jean Lacasse showed the designs to the Montreal Gazette.

The investiture ceremony follows a bruising start to the job for Jean, who issued a written statement declaring that both she and her filmmaker husband Jean-Daniel Lafond were "fully committed" to Canada after the couple was linked to known separatists.

"Let me be clear," she said in the statement, "we have never belonged to a political party or the separatist movement."

Only days before the swearing-in, the multilingual Jean also moved to quash another percolating controversy and renounced her French citizenship.

Clarkson gave a final formal farewell to Parliament Hill on Monday, attending a reception where Prime Minister Paul Martin presented her with the viceregal flag that has flown over Parliament whenever she was present.

Martin later announced the government will contribute an initial $3 million to help establish the Institute of Canadian Citizenship in her name.

The not-for-profit organization will promote discussion about the values associated with Canadian citizenship and help to bridge relations between new immigrants and the Canadian population. The government has promised to match funds raised privately over a 10-year-period, up to a value of $7 million.

At her farewell reception, Clarkson told the small crowd of MPs, senators and officials she felt privileged to serve in a job that she says Canadians should recognize as vital to the country's democratic system of government.