BARRIE, Ont. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there was nothing that came up during the vetting of Julie Payette that he saw as a reason she shouldn't be Canada's next Governor General.
Trudeau says his officials conducted a thorough background check on Payette, but he isn't saying whether he talked about two incidents that have been revealed in recent days.
The first was a dismissed charge of second-degree assault against Payette when she lived in Maryland in 2011, and a second being a fatal car accident in which Payette was not found at fault, first reported by CTV and The Toronto Star.
Payette has called the assault charge "unfounded", noting that she was quickly cleared.
All Trudeau is saying is that his discussions with Payette revolved around her vision for the country and what she would do in the role of Governor General.
Payette is one of Canada's most notable astronauts — the first Canadian female to visit the International Space Station in 1999, and a former chief astronaut at the Canadian Space Agency.
She has been chosen to succeed Gov.-Gen. David Johnston when the outgoing viceregal retires in the fall.
