Haitian Immigrant: Minister Paul Martin

Adrienne Clarkson Dept: The then 48-year-old broadcaster was even more of a departure from the traditional mould than her predecessor, Adrienne Clarkson, who also was a former broadcaster but much better known on the national stage, according to Vancouver Sun. It turned out to be an astute choice. Jean has been more than we could have hoped for. She set a new standard for injecting relevance into an anachronistic position, with equal measures of warmth, empathy and enthusiasm for her adopted country and people. When called on to perform the duties that were more than symbolic, she was able to summon the gravitas and wisdom needed to perform her constitutional role of ensuring stability when the elected government was in crisis and the announcement five years ago that Michaelle Jean was going to be Canada's next governor-general took some getting used to. Perhaps it was Clarkson's success in using the office to communicate her passion for Canada and all things Canadian that emboldened then prime minister Paul Martin to take a chance on a Haitian immigrant who was largely unknown outside of Quebec. As reported in the news.
@t michaelle jean, prime minister paul martin