On this date in 2005 PM Paul Martin came to the defence of his embattled choice for Governor General Michaëlle Jean, and her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, had their loyalty to Canada come into question. His forceful statement on the couple’s behalf (who both went on to serve Her Majesty the Queen and Canada with distinction) is worth recalling today.
“(They) have found themselves the subject of controversy. Mme Jean has seen her and her husband’s loyalty to Canada questioned, particularly by hard-line separatists,” Martin said in a statement released by his PMO. “Canadians have a right to know that the occupants of Rideau Hall are unquestionably dedicated to Canada. At the time of her appointment, the Governor General Designate spoke forcefully of her love for our country. Today, Mme Jean has again declared clearly and unequivocally that both she and her husband are fully committed to Canada.”
“As Prime Minister, I have spoken at length with Mme Jean about her deep attachment to our country,” he continued. “There is no doubt in my mind that her devotion to Canada is longstanding and resolute. That is why I recommended her for appointment. And that is why she enjoys my unqualified support as she prepares to assume the post of Governor General. I have every confidence that she and her husband will serve with dignity, distinction and energy.” 
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.