Carney names former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour as Canada's next governor general

TORONTO (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour will be Canada’s next governor general, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday.

The governor general is the representative of Britain’s King Charles III. The king is the head of state in Canada, a member of the Commonwealth of former colonies.

Carney said Charles approved the appointment on his recommendation.

“I will have an opportunity to have very in-depth conversations with Arbour in private on issues that affect Canada and the rest of the world,” Carney said.

The governor general has important constitutional duties, but the job is mostly ceremonial and symbolic. Carney picked a Francophone for the job.

Asked if she considers herself a monarchist, Arbour said in French that she “doesn’t really know what that term is supposed to mean” but voiced her support for the current system.

“I will be the representative of the Crown in a constitutional arrangement that has served Canada extremely well throughout our history, even more in recent decades," she said.

Arbour will replace Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, who will reach the five-year mark of her tenure in July.

’”The previous Governor General Mary Simon’s lack of French language skills attracted criticisms from many francophone commenters," said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Béland said Arbour is well known and respected in French-speaking Quebec. He noted that her appointment comes at a time when the provincial Parti Québécois pledges to organize an independence referendum by 2030 if they form a majority government after the Oct. 5 general election in the province.

“Having a francophone as Governor General might help,” he said.

Carney said Arbour, 79, is a world-renowned legal scholar, judge and leader in human rights and justice. She was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of Ontario, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

In 1996, she was appointed by the United Nations as Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. She led efforts that resulted in the first conviction for genocide since the 1948 Genocide Convention and the first indictment for war crimes of a sitting head of state.

She later served as a U.N. Special Representative for International Migration from 2017 to 2018.

After the United States gained independence from Britain, Canada remained a colony until 1867, and afterward continued as a constitutional monarchy with a British-style parliamentary system.

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney and Louise Arbour take part in an announcement in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney and Louise Arbour take part in an announcement in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney and Louise Arbour take part in an announcement in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Louise Arbour speaks after being named the next Canada governor general during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Louise Arbour speaks after being named the next Canadian governor general during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with Louise Arbour to announce the new governor general during an event in Ottawa, Tuesday, May 5 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with Louise Arbour to announce the new governor general during an event in Ottawa, Tuesday, May 5 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

BOSTON (AP) — A woman who worked as a live-in personal chef for former New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs declined to answer questions Tuesday about financial demands made on her behalf, as defense attorneys pressed her over claims she was owed money and inconsistencies in what she said she was paid.

Both sides finished calling and cross-examining witnesses just about a day after the assault trial began, as Jamila “Mila” Adams became emotional on the stand describing an alleged encounter with Diggs on Dec. 2 in which she said he entered her room following an argument over text.

Adams, who said she lived in the NFL star’s home and prepared all of his meals, testified that Diggs “smacked me with an open hand” before wrapping his arm around her neck and choking her, leaving her struggling to breathe. She described what she called a “complicated” relationship, saying it had previously been sexual but was not at the time of the alleged assault.

A Dedham police officer who took her initial report testified that Adams was visibly upset when she arrived at the station, telling jurors she “sat down on the bench and she was crying.”

Diggs has pleaded not guilty to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from a December incident at his home. Closing arguments are expected to begin later Tuesday.

Adams said she met Diggs in 2022 on Instagram and that the two became friends — at times “friends with benefits,” as one of his attorneys described it — before she was later hired to live in his home and prepare his meals during the football season.

The case has turned in part on whether the dispute between them was primarily about money or an alleged assault. Defense attorneys have argued Adams was motivated by a financial dispute, pointing to demands for payment and a planned trip to Miami, while Adams has maintained she was reporting an assault.

Defense attorneys pressed Adams about money she said she was owed after working as a live-in chef. She testified she was paid about $2,000 a week and believed she had not been fully compensated after being sent home. They pointed to a $19,000 demand and said the amount increased over time, with her attorney later seeking $5.5 million.

When asked about the $5.5 million claim, Adams said, “I can’t speak on that,” and at other points told jurors, “I don’t understand the question” and “I don’t know how to answer the question.”

At one point, Adams said Diggs had offered her $100,000 to recant her statement to the police, but that remark was struck from the record after the judge called the attorneys to a sidebar.

At times during her second day on the stand, Adams was instructed by the judge to answer questions directly and not include additional details beyond what was asked. Portions of her responses were struck from the record as nonresponsive, with jurors told to disregard them.

“This is not an opportunity for you to interject your own narrative and evade answering questions,” Judge Jeanmarie Carroll told her at one point, warning that continued nonresponsive answers could result in her testimony being stricken.

Kenneth Ellis, the Dedham police officer who took Adams’ initial report, testified that she arrived at the station visibly upset, telling jurors she “sat down on the bench and she was crying.” He said Adams initially asked to speak with a female officer before later agreeing to give a statement and identifying Diggs as the person involved.

Under cross-examination, Ellis said he did not observe visible injuries, collect photographs or speak with other witnesses, and that his investigation relied largely on Adams’ account and text messages she provided.

Defense attorneys also sought to challenge Adams’ account through testimony from people in Diggs’ orbit and evidence they said reflected her demeanor in the days after the alleged incident.

His chief of staff, massage therapist, a nurse who provided IV treatments and his hairstylist all testified that they saw her around the time of the attack and that she said nothing about being assaulted.

His hairstylist, Xia Charles, testified that she spent time with Adams in New York in the days after the alleged incident and did not notice any injuries. She said Adams appeared normal and that she did not see marks on her neck or elsewhere.

Defense attorneys also showed jurors cellphone videos of Adams socializing, including clips of her in a car listening to music and dancing, which they suggested showed her demeanor in the days following the incident.

Jeanelle Sales, Diggs’ chief of staff, who also goes by “Sunni,” testified she saw Adams at the home on the day she alleged she was assaulted and did not see visible marks, redness or swelling on her neck or face. She said Adams appeared to be in normal spirits.

“She was walking around looking for a piece of paper and a pen to write a card — I guess, write a note to him for his birthday gift,” Sales said.

Prosecutors pushed back on that testimony, suggesting the witnesses’ livelihoods were tied to Diggs and that they had a financial interest in the outcome of the case.

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs listens to his defense attorney cross examine witness Jamila Adams during his trial at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs appears in court during his trial at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

Witness Jamila Adams testifies during the trial of former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

Witness Jamila Adams, right, walks past former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs during Diggs' trial at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs listens to his defense attorney cross examine witness Jamila Adams during his trial at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

Witness Jamila Adams testifies during the trial of former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

Judge Jeanmarie Carroll questions potential jurors as the assault trial of Stefon Diggs begins in Dedham, Mass., Monday May 4, 2026. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs leaves Norfolk County District Court, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Stefon Diggs' former personal chef, Jamila Adams, is questioned by Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue in Dedham District Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday May 4, 2026. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Stefon Diggs' former personal chef Jamila Adams is sworn in before giving testimony in Dedham District Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday May 4, 2026. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs returns to Norfolk County District Court, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)