David Johnston, President of Waterloo University, has been appointed the next Governor General of Canada. His term starts October 1, 2010, as Michaëlle Jean moves on to her new job. Mr. Johnston certainly brings a wealth of qualifications to the post.

His legal expertise will help with any constitutional issues that might come up with a minority government. His years as a university president have no doubt enhanced his natural diplomatic skills. His active service in a vast array of committees, associations and work with federal and provincial task forces have given him broad exposure to a wide range of public issues in Canada. He is bilingual, although he didn't learn French until he was well into his thirties, a non-partisan and a staunch federalist.

He even has hockey in his background. At Harvard, his hockey skills shone as brightly as his academic abilities and he was captain of the hockey team. He was twice named to the All-American Hockey Team and is in Harvard's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Photo: David James / © University of Waterloo

The Governor General of Canada
Role of the Governor General of Canada
Governors General of Canada Since 1867
Governor General of Canada

Most of us are pretty set in our ways with our banking habits. We open the accounts we need at the time, and stick with them. But banks are constantly changing services and fees, and it's a good idea to make sure that you don't pay extra for banking services.

A useful resource is the Cost of Banking Guide from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC). This online tool compares more than 100 different account packages from major Canadian banks and other financial institutions in Canada. To use the Cost of Banking Guide, all you do is answer a few questions and you'll get a shortlist of the accounts which meet your criteria. It's a good way to choose a bank account for your specific needs, and also a convenient way to check that your current bank accounts are still appropriate. Most of us complain about high banking fees, but the best way to keep them down is to shop around. This tool can help.

Photo: Gettty Images / Photodisc / Keith Brofsky

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Munir Sheikh, Chief Statistician of Canada and head of Statistics Canada, has resigned over the government's handling of its decision to scrap the long-form census questionnaire and replace it with a voluntary National Household Survey (NHS). While the 62-year-old economist and career public servant said in a media advisory that he was prevented by law from revealing or commenting on the advice that he and Statistics Canada gave the government on the subject, he did want "to comment on a technical statistical issue which has become the subject of media discussion. This relates to the question of whether a voluntary survey can become a substitute for a mandatory census. It can not."

Wayne Smith, Assistant Chief Statistician, Business and Trade Statistics, will fill in as Chief Statistician on an interim basis.

More About the Canadian Census
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The Raid on Dieppe was a test for the full-scale invasion of Western Europe by the Allies during World War II.

The plan was to give the Allies a chance to test techniques and equipment for landing troops from the sea. And test them it did as these pictures of the Raid on Dieppe show. A German ship spotted the convoy coming, and the enemy was ready as the Allied troops, mostly Canadians, got to the beaches. Intelligence reports were poor, radio communications were terrible, and air and infantry cooperation was non-existent. The Canadians suffered 3,367 casualties at the Raid on Dieppe, with nearly 1000 Canadians killed and almost 2000 taken prisoner.