In an interview with QMI Agency, Governor General David Johnston said it would be “very appropriate” for him to influence public policy in areas such as education, research and voluntarism. “His goal, he said, is to have fostered a smarter and more carrying society at the end of his 4.5-year term,” QMI reported. While the former University of Waterloo president acknowledged that “You have to respect the office that you hold,” that doesn’t mean he should remain silent on issues of public importance, despite the fact the Governor General does not have direct political responsibilities. “I would like to see that notion of helping your neighbour not simply as something that you switch on and off, like do a good deed today, but as a mainstream feature of Canadian citizenship,” he said.