Ahead of queen’s funeral, governor general says King Charles ‘committed to reconciliation’

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said while Charles is "very different" from his mother, he shares the same dedication to service and "bringing different cultures and people together."

Canada’s governor general says she believes King Charles III is committed to working on reconciliation between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples as he takes over as monarch from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Speaking to Mercedes Stephenson on The West Block ahead of her trip to London to attend the queen’s funeral on Monday, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said while Charles is “very different” from his mother, he shares the same dedication to service and “bringing different cultures and people together.”

“When he was here (during Charles’ last royal visit to Canada in May) we had a lot of opportunities to talk about Indigenous issues, and he’s very committed to reconciliation … between Indigenous peoples and the Crown,” she said.

“He has told me directly that he’s committed to working on these issues, and hopefully I’ll have a lot of opportunities to continue working with them.”

During that May visit, Simon — who is the first Indigenous person to serve as Canada’s representative for the Crown — urged Charles and his wife Camilla to speak to Indigenous people and “hear their stories.”

Charles and Camilla did meet with Indigenous leaders during the tour and acknowledged the “pain and suffering” experienced by residential school survivors, but did not formally apologize for the monarchy’s role in that system, as had been requested by the Assembly of First Nations and other groups.

Simon says she views reconciliation with the Crown as a “living process” that must include ongoing dialogue not just between governments, the monarchy and Indigenous peoples, but among all Canadians.

“It’s not something you just leave and come to it every once in awhile, but rather to keep continuing and finding ways to better build that relationship,” she said.