Canadian PM chastises governor general

OTTAWA, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper chastised Governor General Michaelle Jean in a letter for calling herself the country's head of state.

The unusual move came after a speech Jean made Monday at a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization address in Paris, during which she twice described herself as Canada's head of state.

Wednesday, Harper's office sent a letter to Jean correcting her, a copy of which was seen Thursday by Canwest News Service.

"Queen Elizabeth II is queen of Canada and head of state," Harper's office wrote. "The governor general represents the Crown in Canada."

An unidentified spokesman at Jean's official residence, Rideau Hall, defended her statement.

"As the representative of the Crown in Canada, the governor general carries out the duties of head of state, and therefore is de facto head of state," the spokesman said.

Ian Holloway, the University of Western Ontario's dean of law, sided with Harper, saying "the queen is our head of state and the governor general is her representative in Canada."