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“The governor general feels privileged to be working with the dedicated and professional team at Rideau Hall and together we are focused on providing results for Canadians.”

In most interviews, Payette has attributed the problems from her first year to lacklustre communication. After the pace of events was criticized in multiple media outlets, Rideau Hall staff added a notice to the website’s calendar of events that says in bold, underlined font: “This list is not exhaustive.”

However, the problems went beyond communication. Sources who have been close to Rideau Hall for decades said the pace of events had slowed significantly under Payette, especially when it came to honours events and ceremonies. The governor general’s participation in some events last year — such as the Michener Awards, which recognize public service journalism — was scaled back at Rideau Hall’s request.

This was due in part to Payette’s determination to guard her personal time, but there were also internal issues that made it difficult for staff to plan. A few months after she took office, Payette blocked her electronic calendar from the view of Rideau Hall staff, according to two sources. Instead of staff being able to look up what the governor general had booked over the next weeks or months, most of the calendar now just said “Private.” Recently the situation has improved, with staff having access to more of Payette’s schedule.

There were also certain things Payette felt strongly about doing, but that necessarily meant less time for Rideau Hall functions. In the first week of October, she visited France to attend a wine club event as the guest of honour, though Rideau Hall confirmed it was a “personal” trip that she paid for herself. In December, she travelled to Kazakhstan to view the launch of Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques into space. Sources had differing views on this; some saw it as an understandable priority for a former astronaut, but one source called it an “indulgence” that required the re-scheduling of many Rideau Hall events.