David Johnston sworn in as Governor General

The 69-year-old academic took over from Michaelle Jean at a ceremony today.

In many ways Johnston is a marked contrast to his predecessor. While Michaelle Jean is a relatively young, bilingual Haitian immigrant who was virtually unknown when she was appointed in 2006, Johnston has been a high profile Canadian academic for decades. He’s served as president of both McGill and Waterloo universities and holds 13 honorary degrees. He also played a leading role in the “No” campaign during the 1995 Quebec referendum. During her term, Jean was called upon to decide whether or not to save Stephen Harper’s government from a no confidence vote, and with the stability of the current minority Parliament precariously poised, Johnston too may be forced to take an active role.