Jean-Gilles Pelletier

Jacinthe Leclerc

September 24, 2020

Amy

September 24, 2020

Published by Calvin Winter on September 24, 2020

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I have been working as the Executive Director of the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of the Ontario Government since January 2016. Previously, I worked at the Ontario Trillium Foundation as the Vice-President, Community Investments, since April 1, 2014. The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is a governmental organization and Canada’s leading granting foundation. At the OTF, my annual portfolio was approximately $80 million, invested in arts and culture, sports and recreation, social services, and environmental initiatives. I also worked for the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), from May 2008 to March 2014 as Director of Administration and Official Languages. I was thrilled to accept the job because CMEC’s official-languages programs had played such an important role in my life. In 1988, I moved to Toronto to improve my English and join my spouse at the time, a native of Toronto. We had met in Quebec City, and I soon learned that her knowledge of French was largely due to her participation (twice) in the Explore program — in 1982 in Quebec City, and in 1986 in Trois-Rivières. She enjoyed her experience so much that she became a teacher and has been teaching intensive Grade 8 French in Toronto since 1982. My children were born here and have grown up in French. As for me, I had the opportunity to take part in the Accent program — the part-time language-assistant program — on two occasions, in 1984–85 in Burnaby, British Columbia, and in 1988–89 in Scarborough, a neighbourhood of Toronto. I learned a great deal about Canada and about myself during these two formative years. In fact, my future career combined my love of French and my proficiency in both official languages. I was able to pursue my education in sociology and political science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, at Laval University in Quebec City, and at the University of Toronto. I worked for the Ontario government for 10 years at the Office of Francophone Affairs and at the Ministry of Finance. I left the public service in 1997 to become Director General of the Centre francophone de Toronto, a multiservice francophone centre in Toronto, and spent 10 years there, during which I was able to bring about a merger with the Centre médico-social communautaire and thereby broaden the range of French services available in Toronto. At CMEC, I never ceased to be amazed by the success stories of those who entered the Explore and Odyssey programs, which enable thousands of Canadians every year to improve their skills in their second official language. At a recent training session for some 100 language assistants, I was astonished by the energy and contagious enthusiasm they had for sharing their culture and promoting their language. Your presence is highly valued by the school boards you work for and the youth you work with. I want to thank each and every one of you for being part of the wonderful and ever-evolving Odyssey experience.

I have been working as the Executive Director of the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of the Ontario Government since January 2016.

Previously, I worked at the Ontario Trillium Foundation as the Vice-President, Community Investments, since April 1, 2014. The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is a governmental organization and Canada’s leading granting foundation.

At the OTF, my annual portfolio was approximately $80 million, invested in arts and culture, sports and recreation, social services, and environmental initiatives.

I also worked for the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), from May 2008 to March 2014 as Director of Administration and Official Languages. I was thrilled to accept the job because CMEC’s official-languages programs had played such an important role in my life.

In 1988, I moved to Toronto to improve my English and join my spouse at the time, a native of Toronto. We had met in Quebec City, and I soon learned that her knowledge of French was largely due to her participation (twice) in the Explore program — in 1982 in Quebec City, and in 1986 in Trois-Rivières. She enjoyed her experience so much that she became a teacher and has been teaching intensive Grade 8 French in Toronto since 1982. My children were born here and have grown up in French.

As for me, I had the opportunity to take part in the Accent program — the part-time language-assistant program — on two occasions, in 1984–85 in Burnaby, British Columbia, and in 1988–89 in Scarborough, a neighbourhood of Toronto. I learned a great deal about Canada and about myself during these two formative years. In fact, my future career combined my love of French and my proficiency in both official languages.

I was able to pursue my education in sociology and political science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, at Laval University in Quebec City, and at the University of Toronto.

I worked for the Ontario government for 10 years at the Office of Francophone Affairs and at the Ministry of Finance. I left the public service in 1997 to become Director General of the Centre francophone de Toronto, a multiservice francophone centre in Toronto, and spent 10 years there, during which I was able to bring about a merger with the Centre médico-social communautaire and thereby broaden the range of French services available in Toronto.

At CMEC, I never ceased to be amazed by the success stories of those who entered the Explore and Odyssey programs, which enable thousands of Canadians every year to improve their skills in their second official language. At a recent training session for some 100 language assistants, I was astonished by the energy and contagious enthusiasm they had for sharing their culture and promoting their language. Your presence is highly valued by the school boards you work for and the youth you work with. I want to thank each and every one of you for being part of the wonderful and ever-evolving Odyssey experience.