Jean, Michaëlle
[Français]
Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1968, fleeing the dictatorial regime of the time.
After studying comparative literature at the Université de Montréal, she taught Italian in the Université’s Department of Literature and Modern Languages. During her studies, Ms. Jean worked for eight years with Quebec shelters for battered women, while actively contributing to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. She later ventured into journalism and became a highly regarded journalist and anchor of information programs at Radio-Canada television and CBC Newsworld.
Michaëlle Jean was the 27th governor general of Canada, from September 27, 2005, to September 30, 2010. Immediately after her mandate, she was appointed UNESCO Special Envoy for Haiti.
She and her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, oversee the Michaëlle Jean Foundation (www.fmjf.ca), which supports citizen action across Canada through the arts and culture as means of social transformation and youth mobilization.
In 2011, Ms. Jean accepted the role of Grand Témoin de la Francophonie for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games when asked by the Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (www.francophonie.org/English.html).
She became Chancellor of the University of Ottawa (http://www.uottawa.ca/welcome.html) on February 1st, 2012. The above photo of Michaëlle Jean is by photograph Robert Lacombe (University of Ottawa).
The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
UNESCO Special Envoy for Haiti
University of Ottawa
550 Cumberland, C-364
Ottawa
(ON)
K1N 6N5
Telephone 1 : 613-562-5223
Email : InfoHaiti.unesco@uOttawa.ca
Last Update : 2012-07-15
