Ottawa bids farewell to Governor General LeBlanc
Ottawa laid out the red carpet and brought out the honour guard Monday as Prime Minister Jean Chretien bid his official farewell to out-going Governor General Romeo LeBlanc.
LeBlanc, 71, first announced he would step down from the position in April. He's headed home to New Brunswick with his wife and will be formally replaced as governor general Thursday by Adrienne Clarkson.LeBlanc, a long-time Liberal MP and federal cabinet minister, has served as Governor General since 1994. He's leaving before his term expires because he says he no longer has the energy for the job.
LeBlanc attended about 400 events each year and travelled extensively as part of the position. He decided to hand over the hectic schedule of year-2000 events to someone else.