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That may be par for the course for previous governors general. What is not typical is that Payette is only 54-years-old — considerably younger than most of her predecessors — and is rumoured to be sick of the gilded cage of Rideau Hall.

As Ottawa Citizen columnist Andrew Cohen wrote Tuesday, a premature resignation would be unprecedented — embarrassing to Payette but even more so to the Liberal government that appointed her. Cohen refers to an “insider” who told him the governor general is actively “negotiating the terms of her departure.”

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No wonder there are whispers wafting around the halls of Centre Block that suggest the Liberals have created the role of global ambassador for women, peace and security specifically to give Payette some suitably high profile work to do and, more importantly, spare them the spectacle of her retiring on a lifetime annuity at taxpayers’ expense after a year in the job. For the record, the Prime Minister’s Office denied Payette is being considered for the global ambassador position.

But something has to give here — a point Payette appears to have acknowledged, given her sudden appearance touring the damage in the aftermath of the tornado in Dunrobin, Ont.

The response to the stories in the National Post has not been a collective leap to the defence of the governor general. She has not built up the stock of goodwill necessary to weather such storms. On the contrary, the negative publicity has raised more allegations about the Queen’s representative dialling back on her commitments, despite her generous compensation package.