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Backgrounder:
The Ontario Francophonie Awards 2008
Biographies of Recipients

March 19, 2008

ROBERT-GUY DESPATIE – Francophone

When people talk about Robert-Guy Despatie, the same words come up over and over again: energy, commitment, determination, creativity, and enthusiasm.

Born in Quebec, Mr. Despatie has made Ontario his home for over 20 years. He is known for his extraordinary communication skills and ability to rally people around a cause, inspiring them to give their best.

Mr. Despatie has been responsible for the promotion of cultural activities at the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud for 10 years. In this capacity, he has worked tirelessly to build and strengthen the Francophone identity of students, make them proud of their culture, and encourage them to become agents of change in their community. His work in this area includes the re-launching of L'AFOLIE, an improvisational theatre program in the schools, and Quand ça nous chante, a Franco-Ontarian festival of song and music in the schools.

In addition to his work in Ontario's schools, Mr. Despatie is one of five founding members of Réseau Ontario, the largest network for the promotion of French-language performing arts outside Quebec, of which he is also the president. Working under the auspices of Réseau Ontario, Mr. Despatie also created Salut!, a French-language performing arts network for elementary and secondary schools. Réseau Ontario and Salut! have provided the inspiration for similar French-language cultural networks in other Canadian provinces. Mr. Despatie is also active in Franco-Ontarian organizations such as L'Écho d'un peuple and Théâtre Action. In addition to his work in the arts and education, Robert-Guy Despatie is actively involved in community development within the Francophone community of south-central Ontario.

For Robert-Guy Despatie, community, language, and culture all fit together cohesively. Thanks to his incomparable leadership, he has had a profound influence on the advancement of the arts in French Ontario, inspiring many young people to take pride in their identity as Franco-Ontarians. In January 2008, the Government of Ontario awarded him the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship.

CHAD GAFFIELD – Francophile

Chad Gaffield has been the President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) since September 2006. Prior to joining SSHRC, Mr. Gaffield enjoyed a stellar 20-year career as a professor, researcher, and administrator at the University of Ottawa where, in addition to holding a research chair, he was the founding director of the Institute of Canadian Studies. He is a former president of the Canadian Historical Association and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Canada.

Mr. Gaffield is perfectly bilingual and has always worked in both official languages, while taking a special interest in Canada's diverse Francophone communities. He has devoted a considerable portion of his academic career to studying the French presence in Ontario, in particular conflicts regarding the use of French in schools. In so doing, he has helped the Franco-Ontarian community to gain a greater understanding of the different aspects of its history, while making Anglophones aware of the realities of Francophone communities in Ontario and throughout Canada.

An ardent Francophile, Mr. Gaffield acts as a bridge between the country's two main linguistic communities in the academic world. He remains a strong advocate of bilingualism at the University of Ottawa. Communicating in French comes naturally and spontaneously to him – he has never spoken French as a concession or out of a sense of obligation. Speaking French, for Mr. Gaffield, is a matter of course.

Chad Gaffield has received many awards over the course of his career. Today, the 2008 Ontario Francophonie Award is the latest addition to his long list of honours and achievements.

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Julia Sakas, Minister's Office, 416 325-5219
Charles Jean Sucsan, Communications Branch, 416 325-4968
ontario.ca/francophone-news

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