NoApologies.ca – July 16 2010 – By Neil Dykstra:  The skin color of our new governor general, David Johnston, matters very little to me. Neither did it matter from what race or nationality our previous two Governor-Generals hailed, Adrienne Clarkson and Michaelle Jean. The central question to their appointment was simple – can they do the job? Can they, as head of state, represent Canada on the world stage? Can they present national awards, politicized as they are, to deserving individuals? And can they steer Canada through a constitutional crisis if called upon?

It’s difficult to pin medals on abortion doctors or schmooze with totalitarian dictators without making a fool of oneself. We can leave to another time the debate of the relevancy of this position in today’s Canada. But I’d like to recognize that there is one important qualification any prospective Governor-General should have before being considered for the position.

According to Ron Evans, the Grand Chief for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, that qualification is skin color. “Appointing an aboriginal person seems the next logical step,” he said. There are probably some valid candidates who happen to be Aboriginal, but that is irrelevant. This statement is clearly racist, and should be dismissed and ridiculed as such. Even if he is talking on the questionable basis of aboriginal “nationality,” this too is listed in our Human Rights Codes as a prohibited ground of discrimination. [Keep reading this article here.]