Ottawa, October 23, 2020 — As part of the CPF Network Virtual Conference 2020, Raise Your Flag for French!, CPF recognized three individuals who have rendered significant service to the organization and who have demonstrated leadership in the advancement of French second language education and the promotion of linguistic duality.

These individuals often noted for their positive influence on others, have demonstrated a commitment to the CPF mission, vision and values through their leadership, partnership building, and collaboration within their respective communities and on a broader national, network scale. The 2020 deserving recipients are:

  • Matthew Hayday, Historian, author and professor at the University of Guelph, recipient of the CPF Distinguished Life Membership, for sharing CPF’s mission in a way that validates and motivates advocates in advancing the promise of bilingualism for children and in Canada and for this personal investment and willingness to share his expertise that has helped CPF prosper. His professional research has included 2 major books “Bilingual Today, United Tomorrow” (2005 McGill-Queen’s University Press) and “So They Want Us to Learn French” (2015 UBC Press) on the history of language policy in Canada.
  • Shannon Nelson, of Grande Prairie, Alberta, recipient of the CPF National Volunteer Award, for her more than 20 years involved in the organization, sustaining a CPF Chapter, leading at the Branch level and putting her expertise to work in obtaining successful fundraising and grant applications which allowed French to flourish in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
  • Candas Resch, recipient of the CPF J. Elmer Hynes Staff Excellence in Leadership Award, for her professional service and financial skills at the CPF Alberta Branch, ensuring its growth and continued success by virtue of leading, beyond the expected scope of work, in event planning and management.

“It is because of our members and staff that we are able to thrive as an organization and deliver our mandate of creating opportunities for youth to learn and use French. The three recipients have gone above and beyond for CPF and for that we want to recognize them. Even though this year the celebration had to be held virtually, we still honour them and hope to celebrate in person soon,” commented Nicole Thibault, Executive Director, CPF National, “All CPF members join us in congratulating the three award recipients for their leadership contributions”.

The CPF Network Virtual Conference saw more than 350 registered delegates from across the country sharing ideas and contributing to the discussion of French second language education, remote learning, linguistic security and much more. The online program extended over six days and included inspiring keynotes and workshop presentations by key stakeholders such as Clara Hughes, a former and the current Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, Keith Spicer and Raymond Théberge, and Senator René Cormier. French socio-cultural opportunities included a concert sponsored by the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques and movies for family viewing. This virtual format allowed a bigger reach and a broader, more diverse family friendly program.

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Canadian Parents for French is a nationwide, research-informed, volunteer organization that represents 25,000 members across Canada and champions the opportunity to learn and use French for all those who call Canada home.

For more information, please contact:

Marcos Salaiza, National Coordinator, Communications and Government Relations

Tel: 613.235.1481 x222 Email: msalaiza@cpf.ca