Article content

When new ambassadors arrive in Ottawa they are obliged to troop along to Rideau Hall, where they are officially welcomed by the Governor General, as the Queen’s representative in Canada.

The presentation of credentials ceremony is normally a formality carried out by the dignified branch of government – perfunctory and uneventful, if done right.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or John Ivison: Why is Payette lobbying foreign diplomats to support Canada's UN Security Council bid? Back to video

Yet heads of mission who have handed over their letters of credence to Julie Payette in recent times say they were lobbied privately by the Governor General to support Canada’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. A vote will be held in June and Canada is running against Norway and Ireland for the two-year mandate to represent “Western Europe and Others”. Government sources suggest it will be a close call.

One foreign diplomat who told me about the exchange said it was considered “unusual” – and, according to a number of accounts, it is. By convention, the governor general does not involve him or herself with government policy. As the Queen’s representative in Canada, the governor general is deemed to be non-partisan and above the fray of party politics. Payette’s predecessors were all firm non-interventionists when it came to politics.