Governor general designate Julie Payette reportedly had 2011 assault charge expunged
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pick for governor general has come under scrutiny for reportedly failing to disclose an expunged assault charge lodged against her back in 2011 while she was living in the U.S.
The assault charge was reportedly discovered by iPolitics in what it called a routine background check on the former astronaut. The alleged offence took place on November 24, 2011, at Piney Point, Md and has since been removed from Payette’s record.
In a statement to the news website, Payette defended herself.
“I will not comment on these unfounded charges, of which I was immediately and completely cleared many years ago, and I hope that people will respect my private life,” she said, according to iPolitics.
The record appears to show Payette was charged under Section 3-203 of the Maryland Code, with punishment carrying a jail term of up to a decade and $2,500 USD in fines. On December 8, 2011, the assault case was entered as nolle prosequi, meaning either the victim refused to press charges, a witness recanted or the district attorney sees little chance of conviction, iPolitics reported.
Second-degree assault charges are often laid when a person is accused of causing physical injury to another person or by making them fearful of harm.
At the time, Payette was living with her then-husband, William Flynn, a retired Royal Canadian Air Force pilot and F-35 fight jet advocate. Payette and Flynn split in mid-2013, according to family court documents related to custody rights.
“We’ve got no comment on this,” Kate Purchase, Trudeau’s director of communications, said in an email to iPolitics.
It’s unclear what impact the reported revelation will have on Payette given she’s due to replace Gov. Gen. David Johnston in the fall, but she has been repeatedly praised by the prime minister for her many accomplishment.
“Ms. Payette’s life has been one dedicated to discovery, to dreaming big and to always staying focused on the things that matter most. These truly Canadian traits, along with her years of public service, make her unquestionably qualified for this high office,” Trudeau said last week.
However, questions linger over whether the prime minister knew of the longstanding assault charges, which were dismissed on June 28, 2017, a little more than two weeks before she was announced as Johnston’s successor.
Originally from Montreal, Payette is most famous for working as an astronaut from 1992 to 2013, during which she flew two space missions. Payette holds 27 honorary doctorates to her name, along with degrees from McGill University and the University of Toronto.
She is also a Knight of the Ordre National du Quebec, an Officer of the Order of Canada and she carried the Olympic flag with seven other prominent Canadians during the opening ceremony for the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010.
