Raymond Théberge (born 1952 in
Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
) is the ninth President and Vice-Chancellor of the
Université de Moncton
The Université de Moncton is a Canadian francophone university in New Brunswick. It includes campuses in Edmundston, Moncton, and Shippagan.
The university was founded in 1963 following the recommendations of the royal commission on higher ed ...
from June 1, 2012, to January 26, 2018, and the
Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada since January 29, 2018.
Early life and education
Théberge holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
(1984), a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics from the
University of Ottawa (1976) and a Bachelor of History degree from the
Université de Saint-Boniface (1973).
Career
After having finished his Ph. D., Théberge served as Director General of the Société franco-manitobaine for 1 year.
Academic career
Between 1985 and 2003, he held several positions related to teaching, research and university administration. In 1985, he became director of the Research Center at the
Université de Saint-Boniface, a position he held for 18 years. During this period, he also held other position. From 1994 to 1995, he was acting Dean Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the Université de Saint-Boniface. Théberge was president and director of the ''Centre d’études franco canadiennes de l’Ouest'' from 1995 to 2004. He was professor and associate professor at
Université Laval between 2001 and 2003. In 1997, Raymond Théberge was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Education at the
Université de Saint-Boniface, a position he held until 2003.
Raymond Théberge has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, 84 papers and presentations, three books, a bibliography and 45 research projects on education, community, communication, culture and economics.
Public service
Raymond Théberge then entered the Canadian public service as a senior official. From 2004 to 2005, he was Assistant Deputy Minister of the ''Bureau de l’éducation française'' in Manitoba's Department of Education, Citizenship and Youth. From 2005 to 2009, he headed the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada (CMEC) as executive director.
Raymond Théberge has been a member of the Board of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
International Bureau of Education, and a member of the Working Group for the Preparation of the International Conference education. Raymond Théberge also chaired the following institutions: the ''Council of the Deans and Directors of Education in Manitoba'', the ''Manitoba Teacher Education and Teaching Certification Committee'', the ''Departmental Task Force on Teacher Shortages in Manitoba'', and the ''Francophone Association of Deans and Directors of Education in Canada''. He was Co-Chair of the ''Round Table on Basic Education'' organized by the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
University of Moncton
In June 2012, Mr. Théberge was named President and Vice-Chancellor of the Université de Moncton, the largest francophone university in Canada outside of the province of Quebec. Under his leadership, the university's first ever strategic plan was implemented, based on extensive consultation and dialogue with the province's post-secondary, francophone and Acadian communities.
Commissioner of official languages
In December 2017,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
announced the appointment of Raymond Théberge as Canada's next
Commissioner of Official Languages. He began his duties as Commissioner on January 29, 2018.
Nomination of Mary Simon as governor general
On July 19, 2021 Théberge confirmed that his office would "investigate the process for nominating
governors general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
" in Canada, following over 400 complaints to his Office that the governor general designate,
Mary Simon, does not speak French. Simon is fluent in English and
Inuktitut
Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...
, and has committed to learning French as part of her mandate. The governor general is the federal
viceregal representative of the
Canadian monarch.
The investigation will target the
Privy Council Office for its advisory role in the governor general selection process. In an official statement, Théberge addressed a perception of nominations to high offices in Canada. "Too often, I see a discourse that puts respect for diversity and inclusion on one hand, and respect for official languages on the other, as if they could not coexist. I would like to remind decision-makers that it is entirely possible to respect official languages while being inclusive."
. In the same statement, Théberge nonetheless noted that Simon's appointment could enable her to help preserve Indigenous and minority languages in Canada.
The
Official Languages Act does not mandate any language requirement for the governor general, nor does it provide the Commissioner with any authority to provide any remedy or relief, apart from the ability to author reports for Parliament's consideration. However, the Act obliges the commissioner to investigate good-faith complaints related to alleged non-compliance of "the spirit and intent" of the Official Languages Act with regard to the "administration of the affairs of any federal institution." Since the adoption of the Official Languages Act in 1969, two unilingual anglophone governors general were appointed:
Ed Schreyer
Edward Richard Schreyer (born December 21, 1935) is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation.
Schreyer was born and educated in Manitoba, and was first electe ...
and
Ray Hnatyshyn. Neither they nor the process for their nomination was investigated by the Commissioner for Official Languages at the time.
Bibliography
* ''Demain, la francophonie en milieu minoritaire ?'' (1987)
* ''Canada : horizons 2000, Un pays à la recherche de soi'' (1997)
* ''Cahiers franco-canadiens de l’Ouest. Numéro spécial, La question métisse: entre la polyvalence et l’ambivalence identitaires'', volume 14, number 1 and 2. (2003)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Théberge, Raymond
Living people
Canadian non-fiction writers
McGill University alumni
People from Ste. Anne, Manitoba
Franco-Manitoban people
Canadian civil servants
1952 births
Commissioners of Official Languages (Canada)