France Chrétien Desmarais, (born July 5, 1958) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
lawyer and businesswoman. She is the daughter of
Jean Chrétien, 20th
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
.
Chrétien Desmarais is married to
André Desmarais
André Desmarais (born October 26, 1956) is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist.
Early life
He is the youngest son of Paul Desmarais Sr. and Jacqueline Desmarais. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he attended Lakefield College School in Ontario ...
, president of the
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
-based
Power Corporation of Canada
Power Corporation of Canada () is a management and holding company that focuses on financial services in North America, Europe and Asia. Its core holdings are insurance, retirement, wealth management and investment management, including a portfol ...
, and son of
Paul Desmarais
Paul Desmarais Sr. (January 4, 1927 – October 8, 2013) was a Canadian financier and philanthropist, based in Montreal. With an estimated family net worth of US$4.5 billion (as of March 2012), Desmarais was ranked by ''Forbes'' as the fou ...
, a wealthy businessman. They have four children.
One daughter, Jacqueline-Ariadne Desmarais, (b. 23 January 1990, Toronto, Ontario, Canada), married 7 September 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Prince ''Hadrien Étienne Georges André Aldo'' de Croÿ-Rœulx (b. 9 September 1983, Uccle, Brussels, Belgium). The direct descendant of
Anne Emmanuel de Croÿ
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, the 8th
Duke of Croÿ of the Solre.
Chrétien Desmarais and her husband donated money to build one of the tallest buildings on the University of Ottawa Campus. She was chairman of the board of the
Montreal Heart Institute Foundation and a graduate of the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...
. She is also currently chair of the Canadian Olympic Foundation as well as vice-chair of the
One Drop Foundation.
In 2011, Chrétien Desmarais was made a Member of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
.
References
1958 births
Living people
Businesspeople from Quebec
Canadian women in business
Children of prime ministers of Canada
France Chretien
French Quebecers
Jean Chrétien
Lawyers in Quebec
University of Ottawa alumni
University of Ottawa Faculty of Law alumni
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