Former Supreme Court justice becomes Canada's governor general, representing King Charles III

TORONTO (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour was installed as Canada’s next governor general Monday after a swearing-in ceremony.

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.

Arbour, 79, replaces Mary Simon, who became Canada’s first Indigenous governor general in 2021. The governor general has important constitutional duties, but the job is mostly ceremonial and symbolic. Prime Minister Mark Carney picked a Francophone for the job.

The Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces played “God Save the King” and the Governor General’s Flag was raised on Parliament Hill to mark the moment.

Arbour 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, the United Nations selected her 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.

In her first speech today as the King’s representative in Canada, she said the ability to coexist peacefully despite differences was critical to maintaining a lawful, rules-based society.

Arbour also discussed the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and cautioned against overreliance on the technology. She said that with instant access to vast amounts of information, it is very tempting to pay little attention to the reliability of sources.

"The lines between knowledge and belief, between truth and falsehood, between facts and assumptions are increasingly blurred,” Arbour said. “AI could be threatening not only the way we live and work, but also the control we exercise over our own destiny.”

She noted that Canada covers nearly 7% of the world’s landmass, holds 20% of its freshwater, and yet makes up just half of 1% of its population.

She said the world “looks at us with justifiable envy.”

Arbour met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace last week.

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.

Designate Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour, centre, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney look on ahead of a drum circle during her installation ceremony at the Senate of Canada in Ottawa, on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)

Governor General Louise Arbour delivers her speech in the Senate as she is installed as Canada's 31st Governor General in Ottawa on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney attend the Governor General Designate Louise Arbour's installation in Ottawa on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)

Governor General Louise Arbour takes the throne as Canada's 31st Governor General in Ottawa on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Governor General Louise Arbour smiles as she takes the throne after her oath in the Senate as she is installed as Canada's 31st Governor General in Ottawa on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s former Chief Justice David Maraga said he was arrested Monday alongside other activists protesting planned construction inside Nairobi National Park.

Police fired tear gas canisters at the protesters who were marching outside the park while carrying banners with messages denouncing land grabs.

Maraga was detained and later released while staging a sit-in on a major road outside the national park’s main gate. He was wearing a green T-shirt similar to those worn by other activists.

The police have yet to comment on the reason for his arrest.

Maraga wrote on X that he was arrested while heading to present a petition to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

“Our national heritage and environment must be safeguarded from greed and unnecessary destruction without public participation,” he said.

Hundreds of activists joined the protest against the planned construction inside the park and the relocation of an orphanage, calling it an attempt to grab public land.

Kenya has experienced incidents of land grabbing in the past, and environmentalists have often spoken out when parks and other green spaces are encroached upon.

Amnesty International in Kenya expressed solidarity with the protesters and called for members of the public to be included in decisions affecting the country’s environmental heritage.

“We want to categorically state that Nairobi National Park is not for sale; our public spaces, our environment, and our rights cannot be traded away behind closed doors,” the rights group said.

The Kenya Wildlife Service on Sunday defended the construction as part of a plan to expand the orphanage and improve the visitor experience, effectively dismissing claims of land grabbing.

Kenya Wildlife Service security personnel stand at the entrance to Nairobi National Park during a protest over plans affecting the park in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Plainclothes police officers arrest protesters during a demonstration against plans they say would affect wildlife habitat in Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Protesters carry placards during a demonstration against plans they say would affect wildlife habitat in Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Protesters flee as anti-riot police launch tear gas during a protest over plans affecting Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Kenya's former chief justice and presidential contender David Maraga, center, is shielded by protesters in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, June 8, 2026, during a protest over plans affecting Nairobi National Park. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)