OTTAWA, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Canada's next governor general has given in to pressure and renounced her dual French citizenship days before being sworn into the vice-regal role.
Michaelle Jean, 48, was named by Prime Minister Paul Martin as the 27th representative of Queen Elizabeth last month. She is due to be sworn in at a ceremony in Ottawa Tuesday.
Jean was born in Haiti and moved to Montreal when she was 6. She went on to become a television journalist for both the French and English networks of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
She became a French citizen after marrying a French filmmaker and adopting a Haitian baby, now 6, the Ottawa Sun said.
However, her dual citizenship sparked an outcry in the media, prompting Jean to issue a statement Sunday, quelling the concerns over allegiance.
"In light of my responsibilities related to the function of governor general of Canada and commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces, I have decided to renounce the French citizenship that I acquired for family reasons in 2004," Jean said. "France acceded to my request by decree on Sept. 23, 2005."
