Montreal has appointed Noémie Dansereau-Lavoie as the new French-language commissioner, a position created in 2021 by the administration of Valérie Plante, but which had been vacant since last year.
Ms. Dansereau-Lavoie will be responsible for advising the city’s political and administrative bodies on the protection and enhancement of the French language. She will also be responsible for ensuring the implementation of the City’s 2021-2024 Action Plan in this regard.
It was Valérie Plante who revealed the identity of the new commissioner during the weekly meeting of the executive committee on Wednesday morning. “She really has a very good track record,” said the mayor. “It’s important for us, at the City of Montreal, to promote the French-speaking metropolis of the Americas, through our various facilities, libraries, cultural centers and others, but also through setting an example, that is, say to ensure that our processes and the way we promote the French language are exemplary. »
Ms. Dansereau-Lavoie has held various positions in ministerial offices in both Quebec and Ottawa. In particular, she was political advisor to the Minister of the French Language and Minister responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie. She also participated in the Action Group for the Future of the French Language of the Government of Quebec in addition to occupying functions in development and strategic planning at Radio-Canada.
The new commissioner will report directly to the city’s director general, Serge Lamontagne, and will take office on June 5. His arrival coincides with the application of the reform of the Charter of the French language, on 1er June 2023.
The position of French language commissioner was created in 2021 and entrusted to Roseline Fréchette, but she left her post last December to return to the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, where she previously worked.
Last March, the Ville de Montréal Committee on the French Language, chaired by former Minister Louise Harel, tabled a report which recommended, among other things, that the City add the slogan “Francophone metropolis of the Americas” to its official logo. . The task force also suggested that a place “of great visibility” be named in honor of Camille Laurin, father of the Charter of the French language.