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[Rideau Hall Guide:] Excellency, so after many months of accomplishing the roles of an administrator, what’s your biggest takeaway?

[His Excellency the Right Honourable Richard Wagner (Administrator of the Government of Canada):] Well, what I discovered through those activities for the last couple of months is to what extent we have strong institutions in Canada, and I learned things that I did not know before … and a counterweight in every … in every position, you know, the solidity of our institutions. We are doing the things the right way and we are … we are accountable. People are accountable for their actions and you discover that in the machinery of government. So for me, it was in a way reassuring, although I had not really any doubts, but it was a way to confirm to what extent we are lucky to … to live in a country with such strong institutions.

[Rideau Hall Guide:] Thank you. 

[Rideau Hall Guide:] Your Excellency, what’s the one thing that surprised you about this role?

[His Excellency the Right Honourable Richard Wagner (Administrator of the Government of Canada):] Well, it’s probably … it’s probably the … the variety of … of the … of the roles played by the administrator. You know, one day you will sign commissions; you will sign orders in council the following day; you will preside ceremonies to give Order of Canada, for instance, or other types of awards. So, what struck me as … as … what surprised me … is the diversity of the tasks that must be done by … by the administrator. And I would tell you that, without the good and professional support of the … the staff at Rideau Hall and at the Privy Council, the governor general or the administrator could not do a job properly. So, I was very lucky and privileged to be able to count on … on the experts, the good people at … at Rideau Hall and at Privy Council, to help me.

[Rideau Hall Guide:] Excellency, what’s the one touching memory that you will carry with you through this experience?

[His Excellency the Right Honourable Richard Wagner (Administrator of the Government of Canada):] I have to tell you that every time I was presiding [over] a ceremony to give an award to Canadians, whether it be for the Order of Canada, whether it be for other types of … of … of orders like the bravery, for instance, merit, it was always touching, it was always moving because you would see Canadians, you would discover talents, you would discover Canadians that contributed to the success of this country, and in … in … in giving them the awards … with their family around, their friends, you could see the pride that these people have, and the pride that I had too, to see all those Canadians that have contributed to our country.

So, it was always very emotional, and I suspect that it will always remain the same for the future as well if there are other ceremonies. But the other thing that I … that I discovered, because I did not have the chance to work with them that closely before, is working with the staff, the employees of Rideau Hall—people of good faith, people who want … who want to do the right thing the right way, and who were there for me all the time. And so, I discovered those people, those human beings, and for me it was … it was a ... a great thing and a great human experience, and it will stay with me forever.

[Rideau Hall Guide:] Thank you. 

[Rideau Hall Guide:] Excellency, tell us about your experience as an administrator.

[His Excellency the Right Honourable Richard Wagner (Administrator of the Government of Canada):] That’s a very good question. In a nutshell, I would tell you that it was a great experience. I had to do so many things on behalf of the country. I had to ... of course, I had to assure the interim just until the new governor general is appointed.

That means that I had to sign all kinds of documents, official documents like orders in council, proclamations, appointment papers; attending Royal Assents, writing to heads of State for different reasons, receiving correspondence from other heads of State as well; presiding virtual ceremonies to give awards and merits to all kinds of ... many Canadians. So, it was very interesting, it was very diverse and I enjoyed every moment.