Whitlam dismissal secrets unearthed from the Canadian archives

A governor general can intervene only once to influence the democratic vote, after which he must leave. Like a bee that stings once and then dies… The same is true for Sir John Kerr.

Jules Léger, governor general of Canada, 1977.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the sacking of Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam by governor-general Sir John Kerr, former Canadian governor-general Jules Léger’s archives include Queen Elizabeth II. New details have been found regarding Elizabeth’s opinion of Kerr’s action.