“This year, Francopresse is celebrating the 10th edition of the list of influential personalities of the Canadian Francophonie. Ten years of highlighting people whose candidacy is submitted by French-language newspapers in minority communities across Canada.”
For 2024, the honorary presidency of the Palmarès jury has been entrusted to the general director of the Société acadienne de Clare, Natalie Robichaud, who is one of the personalities listed in the 2023 Palmarès.
“Participating on the selection jury and chairing the committee was a true privilege. The rigorous process reflects not only the talent of those selected, but also the commitment to the vitality of the Canadian Francophonie. This Palmarès is a celebration of our cultural heritage and those who carry it with passion,” underlines the honorary president.
The jury, made up of representatives of Francopresse and personalities from previous editions of the Palmarès, studied more than thirty applications submitted by Réseau.Presse member newspapers across the country to select the ten personalities to rise to the 2024 winners.
Marjorie Beaucage
Manitoba “art-ivist” Marjorie Beaucage began the year by becoming the recipient of one of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Since November, the National Gallery of Canada has been screening three of his films. After several years in education, Marjorie Beaucage launched into video production, with the aim of highlighting issues often ignored by Métis and Indigenous communities. Two years ago, she collaborated with the Conseil culturelle fransaskois to produce La moisson, a cultural mediation tool for schools.
Cyr Couturier
A researcher in rural economics, Cyr Couturier is a key player in the promotion of the Francophonie in Newfoundland and Labrador who began helping Acadian businesses in the 1980s. He is in his fifth term as president of Horizon TNL, a non-profit organization dedicated to the economic development of Francophones in the province. He continues to sit on the board of directors of the Economic Development and Employability Network (RDÉE) Canada in addition to acting as president of Gaboteur, the French-language newspaper of Newfoundland and Labrador. He previously served on the Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador.
Camille Frenette
Originally from Dieppe, New Brunswick, Kamylle Frenette inspired the entire Acadian community and beyond by placing 4th in the paratriathlon competition at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, after finishing in the same place at the 2021 Tokyo Games In June, she won her first World Paratriathlon Series event in Montreal. Kamylle Frenette is the most successful Acadian in Paralympic sport. During the training that took her to the Olympics, she also obtained her degree in pharmacology.
Claudette Gleeson
In February, when the town of Greenstone decided to remove the Franco-Ontarian flag which had flown in front of town hall since 2015, Claudette Gleeson stepped up her efforts to reverse the situation: petition, deputation before the municipal council, campaign to cover the city of colors of the Ontario Francophonie… In March, she was named to the Ordre de la Pléiade of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie. She is currently president of the Association des francophones du Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario, the Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales, the Accueil francophone de Thunder Bay and the Center francophone de Thunder Bay. She also founded the Franco-Festival.
Little Belliveau
Jonah Richard Guimond, aka P’tit Belliveau, from Baie-Sainte-Marie in Nova Scotia, makes Acadia shine. Through his Music, he highlights the French language, its culture, its Acadian identity and pride. In 2024, his career has truly reached a new peak. He notably launched a new album, participated in the opening show of the World Acadian Congress and the Francos festival in Montreal, and filled the MTelus hall in Montreal. He also won awards at the Alternative Gala of Independent Music of Quebec and received the Prix Acadie-Québec 2024.
Marjorie Beaucage
Louise Imbeault
In November 2024, Louise Imbeault was appointed Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. She has been chancellor of the Université de Moncton since 2018 and owner-publisher of Éditions Bouton d’or Acadie since 2012. A renowned journalist, she was director of - Atlantique, where she was also the first female head of news and the first female director of radio, television and the Internet. During her long career, during which she always promoted the French language, she received several distinctions, including that of Member of the Order of Canada in 2023.
Anne Leis
Doctor Anne Leis spares no effort to ensure that the Fransaskois population has access to quality health services in French. In 2024, she coordinated new research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Francophone families in the Prairies. This is the second appearance in the Francopresse Awards for the director of the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan and the former president of the Société Santé en français and the Réseau Santé en français. of Saskatchewan.
Isabelle Salesse
For more than 25 years, Isabelle Salesse has worked extensively – and often in the shadows – to ensure that Francophones from all backgrounds have a place in the Yukon. In 2024, the general director of the Association franco-yukonnaise launched an initiative of inclusion and solidarity with French-speaking 2ELGBTQI+ communities. During the same year, she also contributed to the revision of the Yukon Health Authority Act to guarantee the protection of the linguistic rights of the French-speaking community. Furthermore, for three years, she has participated in the Great Cycle Challenge for the SickKids Foundation.
Alex Tétreault
The year 2024 was anything but ordinary for Franco-Ontarian Alex Tétreault. As early as January, the young playwright won two prizes for his play Nickel City Fifs: the Audace Réseau Ontario prize and the Alliance Acadie Prize. In June, he became Poet Laureate of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. In September, Éditions Prize de parole published the text of his play, which tells a “Queer Sudbury epic”. He is also currently president of the Ontario organization Théâtre Action and does not hesitate to give generously to his community, notably by serving on numerous boards of directors.
Special mention: Elle Peters
The Palmarès jury gives a special mention to Elle Peters. Committed to defending the interests of young Francophones, Elle Peters is president of the Nova Scotia Provincial Youth Council and 2024 recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence for Acadia and the Francophonie of Nova Scotia. Her fight against racism and all other forms of discrimination earned her the Citizenship and Respect Award from the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia in 2022, when she was only in grade 8. Let’s continue to follow this young French-speaking woman with a bright future.
Tribute: Ethel Côté
Pioneer of social innovation, champion of the solidarity economy and figurehead of women’s economic empowerment, Ethel Côté died at the age of 66 in October. She dedicated her life to the development of the French-speaking world and local action. She founded several organizations, including mécènESS, and directed the social enterprise ImpactON. She was also the founding president of La Nouvelle Scène in Ottawa. She has been inducted into the Order of Credit Unions of Ontario, the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada. In 2015, the UN named her a champion of women’s economic empowerment.
