Ottawa, July 30, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Death of Paul Charbonneau: A loss for the Francophone association community, according to Commissioner Fraser
The Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, responded today to news of the death of Paul Charbonneau on July 27, 2007. Mr. Charbonneau was the director general of the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones (FNCSF) and the Regroupement national des directions générales de l’éducation.
According to Mr. Fraser, "This is unfortunate news for the Francophone association community, which has lost one of its highly skilled artisans. Paul has long fought for French-language education and the development of official language communities through parents' committees and national associations such as the Commission nationale des parents francophones."
Mr. Charbonneau is known for the 1992 publication Contre vents et marées – L'histoire des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador. He was also the driving force behind a broad coalition of the education community that culminated in June 2005 with the Sommet des intervenants et des intervenantes en éducation dans la mise en œuvre de l’article 23 en milieu francophone minoritaire. Last February, Mr. Charbonneau and the FNCSF's board of directors met Commissioner Fraser to bring him up to date on major issues in education.
The Commissioner and the employees of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages offer their deepest condolences to Paul's family and all his friends in the network of community associations.
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For more information, contact:
Julie Noël
Media Relations Advisor
Telephone: 613-995-0649
Email: julie.noel@ocol-clo.gc.ca
