Ontario’s Ministry of Francophone Affairs will lose one of its most senior officials at the end of the month. Deputy Minister Marie-Lison Fougère, one of the architects of the creation of the Université de l’Ontario français, will retire on March 31 after a career of more than 30 years in the Ontario government.
Cabinet Secretary Michelle E. DiEmanuele broke the news in January in an internal memo that The duty got a copy. Marie-Lison Fougère, a native of Rimouski, played an “instrumental” role in the creation of the first French-language university in the province, in Toronto, according to the secretary of the Council of Ministers. She also led the modernization of the French Language Services Act, which came to fruition in 2021.
The deputy minister, originally from Bas-Saint-Laurent, was “an activist for the integration of Francophone and women’s perspectives in the policies, programs and initiatives of the Ontario public service,” explains Michelle E. DiEmanuele in the memo. “Marie-Lison has been an advisor, partner and champion for the vitality of different underrepresented communities,” reads the letter.
“We expect to announce the appointment of a new Deputy Minister of Francophone Affairs in the coming weeks,” said a government spokesperson.
This is the second departure of an important member of Ontario’s Francophonie in a very short time. On March 3, Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner, Kelly Burke — herself a former assistant deputy minister for Francophone Affairs — stepped down. The Ombudsman of Ontario, his superior, has not yet explained the reasons for his departure. She is replaced on an interim basis by her assistant, Carl Bouchard.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.