Wednesday, May 06, 2026
Those who give us hope: Louise Arbour
Canada, unbeknownst to most Americans, actually has a ceremonial head of state who serves alongside the elected Prime Minister. The new Governor General was just chosen, and she is a pretty remarkable individual.
Louise Arbor is 79, and has packed a lot into those years. She is a lawyer by trade, and worked for years as a law professor. She became a lower-court judge, then joined the Canadian Supreme Court in 1999. She also served as an international war-crimes prosecutor, investigating incidents in Rwanda and Yugoslavia. She also lead reforms of the Canadian prison system and the Canadian armed forces.
Canada has its issues, but is ahead of the US in many measurable metrics of success for its citizens (ie, a life expectancy of 81 years v. 78 in the USA). It might in part because of the way that they value competence.
