Statement made on 24 November 2010 by Senator Rose-Marie Losier-Cool
Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool:
Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to two greats in the francophone news world, the retiring director and the future director of Radio-Canada Acadie. Louise Imbeault, the current director of Radio-Canada Acadie, will retire in June after a long career with our public broadcaster that started in 1974.
She started working for Radio-Canada as a freelancer and became news director in 1984. Then, in 1987, she became director of French-language television for Radio-Canada Atlantique, as it was called until 2007. I must say that talking about Acadia on Radio-Canada has always been a huge challenge.
Louise Imbeault helped give our Acadian communities an opportunity to learn as much and become just as well informed as other francophones in Canada, and she gave Acadia a place on Radio-Canada, both regionally and nationally. I offer her my sincere thanks for the 35 years she has dedicated to our Acadian society.
I also want to congratulate Michel Cormier, a well-known Acadian journalist and author, who will take over for Louise Imbeault next summer. He has been a journalist for 30 years, and many of you have heard him in French and in English on the Radio-Canada and CBC national news, because, since 2000, he has been a correspondent in Paris, Moscow and now China.
Many of you have surely read his 2004 biography of Louis J. Robichaud, or his 2006 study of Russia. You know that he has a sharp mind and a talent for speaking that will serve him well in his new role as manager of 250 Radio-Canada Acadie employees. I wish him all the best in his new role.
I will conclude with the words of Louise Imbeault, who said: "The golden years of Radio-Canada Acadie are yet to come." I completely agree, and I hope that this essential tool for our Atlantic francophone communities will be around for a long time to come.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.