The Prix Ronald-Duhamel – Ronald Duhamel Award was presented today to Michel Loiselle for his work in finding ways to reconcile local priorities with various available funding sources which have greatly contributed to increase both urban and regional economic development within the Francophone community.

Over the last 18 months, Michel Loiselle has led an extensive public engagement initiative with the Francophone community that has resulted in a better understanding of its needs and interests in the realm of economic development. Mr. Loiselle’s efforts have culminated in a variety of different projects responding to the needs of the specific communities ranging from programs and supports for businesses and employability, youth entrepreneurship, and the promotion and inclusion of Francophone artistes within Manitoba’s cultural industries. These significant contributions to the economic development of our province’s Francophonie lend evidence to Michel Loiselle’s role as a promoter and defender of Manitoba’s Francophone community.

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The Prix Ronald-Duhamel – Ronald Duhamel Award was presented to the staff of the St. Boniface Library for their delivery of services, programming and resources to their clientele throughout Winnipeg, but particularly within St. Boniface and the Francophone community.

Over the last number of years, staff from the St. Boniface Library have been innovative, reaching out into the community to those who need it most, as attracting new users through engaging and creative programming. The library offers programs for all ages, year-round, focusing on programs in French on a range of topics that celebrate and encourage learning French language, literature and culture. All library programs are free to attend to ensure equal access for all. In fact, staff at the St. Boniface library delivers almost 200 programs in service to the community, many of which extend beyond the library’s walls and are in partnership with community stakeholders and organizations.

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Ms. Champagne set herself apart throughout her career as a municipal administrator from 2005 to 2016, by playing a key role in introducing French-language communication tools and official documents to the town of Ste. Anne in order to reach the Francophone population. Not only did she make the planning and delivery of French-language services a priority to meet the needs of the community, she was also committed to creating a bilingual working environment that fostered greater use of French among municipal staff.

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Les deux Diane (the two Dianes) have spent almost 30 years with the Department of Canadian Heritage serving the Francophone community in Manitoba and other provinces and territories included in the district. They have always provided personal quality services, going above and beyond the call of duty as public servants. They have done everything to promote good relations between the Department and the communities. Program officers outside Manitoba call on them for their experience and wisdom. Mesdames Leclercq and Dorge have a positive influence on the Francophonie both provincially and nationally, and leave behind them a legacy of excellence with respect to client service, a welcoming attitude and availability.

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The winner for 2013 is Ms Leanne Boyd, Director, Policy Development, Research and Evaluation, Healthy Child Manitoba.  As a Francophile, Ms Boyd has demonstrated a keen interest in Manitoba’s Francophone community.  She has worked tirelessly to support the community’s projects and has initiated many programs and research projects including: the Roots of Empathy program, the PAX Good Behaviour Game, the Triple P–Positive Parenting Program, the Centres de la petite enfance et de la famille (CPEF) and the Early Development Instrument.  These initiatives have been made available in French thanks to Ms Boyd’s efforts.

Ms Boyd has played a leadership role with government departments and Cabinet in supporting the CPEF initiative. She sits on the steering committee of the Coalition francophone de la petite enfance in order to put forward within government the needs of the Franco-Manitoban community and the importance of investing in this sector.

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The CPEF coordinators form a creative, dynamic team that is responsive to its clientele and that plays a key role in helping parents transmit the French language and culture to their children. By giving parents the tools they need to promote the French language and pass on their culture to their children, the coordinators help build a promising future for Manitoba’s Francophone community.

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The winner for 2009 is Mr. François Lentz, a former curriculum consultant with the Bureau de l’éducation française (BEF), a division of Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. Mr. Lentz retired in September 2008 after a productive 20-year career devoted to French-language education in the province.

The leadership shown by Mr. Lentz within the BEF enabled his colleagues to work collaboratively, provide exceptional services, and ensure the provision of a high-quality and innovative education in French. Mr. Lentz’s influence extended far beyond the province’s borders with his many significant contributions to French-language education at the national level. Examples include his pivotal role in founding L’Alliance canadienne des responsables, des enseignants et enseignantes en français langue maternelle (ACREF), the Canadian alliance of directors and teachers of French as a first language, and organizing its first conference in Manitoba; his substantial contribution to the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol (1994–2008); and his involvement in creating the pedagogical tool entitled Présence de Gabrielle Roy : Un outil pédagogique (2006), marking the centennial of La Maison Gabrielle-Roy inc.

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This year’s winners are the members of the French Language Services Unit of the Regional Health Authority (RHA) – Central Manitoba Inc, who demonstrated leadership by incorporating French-language services into all health-service delivery efforts in their region.

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This year’s recipients of the Award are two teams, one provincial and one federal, who contributed to the conception, the creation and the implementation of the three Bilingual Service Centres in Manitoba: in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, in St.Boniface and in St-Pierre-Jolys. Mr. Edmond LaBossière, former Senior Advisor of the provincial French Language Services Secretariat and Mr. Mike Styre, co-chair of the Manitoba Federal Council Steering Committee on Official Languages, accepted the Award on behalf of the provincial and federal teams respectively.

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