Raymond Théberge
7th Commissioner of Official Languages
Assumed office
January 2018
Preceded byGhislaine Saikaley
Personal details
Born1952 (age 71–72)
Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Canada
Alma materUniversité de Moncton, McGill University, Université de Saint-Boniface
ProfessionPublic Servant, University Professor

Raymond Théberge (born 1952 in Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes, Manitoba[1][2]) is the current Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, having held this position since January 29, 2018. He was previously the ninth President and Vice-Chancellor of the Université de Moncton from June 1, 2012 to January 26, 2018.

Early life and education

Théberge holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from McGill University (1984), a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics from the University of Ottawa (1976) and a Bachelor of History degree from the Université de Saint-Boniface (1973).[3]

Career

After having finished his Ph. D., Théberge served as Director General of the Société franco-manitobaine for 1 year.[3]

Academic career

Between 1985 and 2003, he held several positions related to teaching, research and university administration. In 1985, he became director of the Research Center at the Université de Saint-Boniface, a position he held for 18 years. During this period, he also held other position. From 1994 to 1995, he was acting Dean Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the Université de Saint-Boniface. Théberge was president and director of the Centre d’études franco canadiennes de l’Ouest from 1995 to 2004. He was professor and associate professor at Université Laval between 2001 and 2003. In 1997, Raymond Théberge was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Education at the Université de Saint-Boniface, a position he held until 2003.[4]

Raymond Théberge has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, 84 papers and presentations, three books, a bibliography and 45 research projects on education, community, communication, culture and economics.

Public service

Raymond Théberge then entered the Canadian public service as a senior official. From 2004 to 2005, he was Assistant Deputy Minister of the Bureau de l’éducation française in Manitoba's Department of Education, Citizenship and Youth. From 2005 to 2009, he headed the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada (CMEC) as executive director.[4]

Raymond Théberge has been a member of the Board of the UNESCO International Bureau of Education, and a member of the Working Group for the Preparation of the International Conference education. Raymond Théberge also chaired the following institutions: the Council of the Deans and Directors of Education in Manitoba, the Manitoba Teacher Education and Teaching Certification Committee, the Departmental Task Force on Teacher Shortages in Manitoba, and the Francophone Association of Deans and Directors of Education in Canada. He was Co-Chair of the Round Table on Basic Education organized by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).[4]

University of Moncton

In June 2012, Mr. Théberge was named President and Vice-Chancellor of the Université de Moncton, the largest francophone university in Canada outside of the province of Quebec. Under his leadership, the university's first ever strategic plan was implemented, based on extensive consultation and dialogue with the province's post-secondary, francophone and Acadian communities.[3]

Commissioner of official languages

In December 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of Raymond Théberge as Canada's next Commissioner of Official Languages.[5] He began his duties as Commissioner on January 29, 2018.[6]

Nomination of Mary Simon as governor general

On July 19, 2021 Théberge confirmed that his office would "investigate the process for nominating governors general" in Canada, following over 400 complaints to his Office that the governor general designate, Mary Simon, does not speak French.[7] Simon is fluent in English and Inuktitut, and has committed to learning French as part of her mandate.[8] The governor general is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch.

The investigation will target the Privy Council Office for its advisory role in the governor general selection process.[9] In an official statement, Théberge addressed a perception of nominations to high offices in Canada. "Too often, I see a discourse that puts respect for diversity and inclusion on one hand, and respect for official languages on the other, as if they could not coexist. I would like to remind decision-makers that it is entirely possible to respect official languages while being inclusive."[10]. In the same statement, Théberge nonetheless noted that Simon's appointment could enable her to help preserve Indigenous and minority languages in Canada.[10]

The Official Languages Act does not mandate any language requirement for the governor general, nor does it provide the Commissioner with any authority to provide any remedy or relief, apart from the ability to author reports for Parliament's consideration. However, the Act mandates the commissioner to investigate good-faith complaints related to alleged non-compliance of "the spirit and intent" of the Official Languages Act with regard to the "administration of the affairs of any federal institution."[11] Since the adoption of the Official Languages Act in 1969, two unilingual anglophone governors general were appointed: Ed Schreyer and Ray Hnatyshyn. Neither they nor the process for their nomination was investigated by the Commissioner for Official Languages at the time.[12]

Bibliography

  • Demain, la francophonie en milieu minoritaire ? (1987)[13]
  • Canada : horizons 2000, Un pays à la recherche de soi (1997)
  • Cahiers franco-canadiens de l’Ouest. Numéro spécial, La question métisse: entre la polyvalence et l’ambivalence identitaires, volume 14, number 1 and 2. (2003)

References

  1. ↑ "Mieux préparé que quiconque". Le Droit (in Canadian French). 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  2. ↑ Laurendeau, Paul (8 May 2019). "Commissioner of Official Languages". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Raymond Théberge". Prime Minister of Canada. 2017-11-30. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  4. 1 2 3 "Biographie du recteur et vice-chancelier" (in French). Archived from the original on 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  5. ↑ "Raymond Théberge named Canada's official languages commissioner". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  6. ↑ "The Commissioner of Official Languages – Biographical Notes". www.officiallanguages.gc.ca. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  7. ↑ "Commissioner investigates after complaints pour in about governor general's lack of French". CBC News. 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  8. ↑ "Probe launched after 400 complaints over new GG's lack of French". Ottawa Citizen. 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  9. ↑ Connolly, Amanda (19 July 2021). "Mary Simon's lack of French prompts investigation after 400 complaints: watchdog". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  10. 1 2 "Statement from the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada regarding complaints received on the appointment of the new Governor General". Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  11. ↑ Official Languages Act
  12. ↑ "Pourquoi pas? Investigation of non-French speaking Governor General under way". Western Standard. 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  13. ↑ St-Pierre, Louis-Patrick. "Références sur les langues officielles – Demain, la francophonie en milieu minoritaire ? – icrml.ca – cirlm.ca". Retrieved 2018-03-01.
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