Outgoing Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson reflected on her mandate during her farewell address Wednesday, saying she was glad to have fulfilled her tenure during a minority government.

"You might be interested and surprised to know I am really glad to have participated in (a minority government)," she said in an address to a joint luncheon of the Empire and Canadian clubs at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

"My constitutional role has lain in what are called 'reserve powers:' making sure that there is a prime minister and a government in place, and exercising the right `to encourage, to advise, and to warn,'" she said.

"Without really revealing any secrets, I can tell you that I have done all three."

Late 2004, Clarkson was asked -- and agreed -- to remain in office for an additional year to provide stability as the country faced the potential constitutional challenges of a minority government.

As the Liberals faced a series of opposition attempts to topple the government, Clarkson said she was waiting and ready to act if a confidence vote failed.

In her address, Clarkson also reflected on her experience as Governor General, during which she voyaged from coast to coast, travelling more than 100,000 km each year of her six-year term.

She urged all Canadians to follow in her footsteps to explore their land.

"Canadians should discover the rolling grasslands of southeastern Alberta that have never been passed under the plough.

"And the salt lake in the middle of Saskatchewan, Lake Manitou, that is saltier than even the Dead Sea.

"They should see the tides in the Bay of Fundy, which nearly make visible the movements of the earth and the heavens.... All of this fantastically diverse geography belongs to each and every one of us."

The Clarkson Cup

Also Wednesday, Clarkson announced the creation of a trophy in her name for supremacy in Canadian women's hockey.

She fulfilled a goal she set last winter after a debate over whether the Stanley Cup should be awarded to women because of the NHL lockout.

Prominent female players across the country suggested the creation of a new trophy specifically for them.

Since then, Clarkson has been working at establishing the trophy before her term as Governor General ends this month.

She wanted to follow the footsteps of Lord Stanley of Preston, who donated the Stanley Cup while he was sitting as Governor General in 1893, but never saw it awarded during his term.

"I really wanted to do this, just as Lord Stanley did," Clarkson told The Globe and Mail.

"It was important to get it done because people had been so enthusiastic about it, especially women with daughters who wrote and said why don't you submit a Clarkson Cup.

"Women's hockey, the playing and interest in it is growing, so this was the right time to do it."

The trophy will be created this winter by students at the Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit.

However, it's still unclear which women's hockey leagues will compete for it.

At present, there are two women's professional hockey leagues in Canada -- the eight-team National Women's Hockey League, based in Eastern Canada, and the five-team Western Women's Hockey League, based in the West.

Both want a chance to compete for the Cup. However, the two leagues are deadlocked over issues that have kept them from establishing a championship with representatives from both the NWHL and the WWHL.

With no apparent end to that stalemate in sight, Clarkson decided to donate the trophy and then let the leagues sort out their differences if they want to compete for it.

"I think it's a great idea," Tomas Pacina, partner to Canadian women's hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser, and head coach of the WWHL's Calgary Oval X-Treme told The Globe.

"It's now up to us, the league and the presidents to organize a championship. I don't think it should be that hard."

Clarkson said she was not bothered that there was not yet a format in place for teams to compete for her trophy.

"Lord Stanley didn't know who would play for his either," she told The Globe.

"When Lord Stanley did it there was no league, it just said excellence in hockey. So that's what it will be.

"It's my personal gift. I just want to get the Cup out there. I just hope that women who want to play the best hockey in Canada can vie for it."

Clarkson consulted with many Canadian sports personalities, including Wickenheiser, Jean Béliveau and Nancy Greene Raine.

Clarkson will be succeeded by Michaelle Jean, who will become the country's 27th Governor General on Sept. 27.