
Former astronaut Julie Payette sworn in as Canada’s 29th Governor General
OTTAWA — “Through hardship to the stars” is the motto that will guide Julie Payette, the former astronaut who was sworn in Monday as Canada’s newest Governor General.
Those words are in the Latin “Per Aspera Ad Astra” on a new coat of arms designed to capture Payette’s essence as a scientist, mother and music lover.
Payette, 53, urged Canadians to discover their own strength to help others as she spoke without written notes after being installed as the 29th person to represent the Queen in Canada.
Payette, the first Canadian to work aboard the International Space Station and the the second Canadian woman to go into outer space, told an audience of dignitaries and invited guests that Canadians can “truly move mountains” to tackle serious issues such as climate change, poverty, migration and nuclear threats.