Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Julie Payette is the 29th Governor General of Canada.  She is also known for being an astronaut, engineer, scientific broadcaster and corporate director.

From 1992 to 2013, Ms. Payette worked as an astronaut and flew two missions in space. She also served many years as CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, and was Chief Astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency.

Ms. Payette has received many distinctions, including 27 honorary doctorates, and can converse in six languages. She is an Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada, Extraordinary Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Commander of the Order of Merit for Police Forces, head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec.

A member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and a fellow of the International Academy of Astronautics, she obtained an International Baccalaureate from the United World College of the Atlantic in the United Kingdom, a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from McGill University and a Master of Applied Science in Computer Engineering degree from the University of Toronto. In addition, Ms. Payette has completed certificate programs in corporate governance and cybersecurity and holds a commercial pilot license.