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Sep 9, 2020 9:40 PM -

Payette has a long and successful role as a scientist and an astronaut: PM Trudeau

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Governor General Julie Payette and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau look on during a swearing in ceremony following a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has an "excellent" governor general in Julie Payette and that now is not the time to replace the former astronaut. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ducked a question this morning about how he can call Julie Payette an ``excellent'' governor general as she faces allegations of workplace harassment.

Trudeau told reporters that Payette, ``has a long and successful role as a scientist and an astronaut.''

He repeated that the federal government has hired a third-party reviewer to follow up on the harassment claims.

There are reports that some of the whistleblowers who came forward with the allegations are now reconsidering the external review into Rideau Hall after Trudeau's defense of Payette.

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