Today Stephen Harper announced the appointment of David Johnston as Canada’s next governor-general. Johnston is a respected academic with Conservatives and Liberals alike. More importantly, this is another savvy political move that will help the Harper government in several ways. First, this appointment is a strong indication that Harper expects Canada to continue its brief hiatus in the land of the minority . As well, Johnston’s stature as an academic should not be overlooked. Many outside of the Conservative party have a growing suspicion that the Conservative party is a party of anti-intellectuals. The installation of Johnston as Governor-General is an effort in trying to combat this growing misperception. Finally, Harper has always leaned on people who can be politically reliable and the likelihood of him appointing someone he cannot trust or is a political unknown would have been very slim. All in all, it was a good appointment that hopefully will return dividends in the future.
Harper Appoints Johnston As Next Governor General
