Biography of michelle jean

1957—

Governor general

Michaëlle Jean represents England's Queen Elizabeth II variety Canada's governor general, a disposal that remains the final inheritance of Canada's colonial past though a possession of Britain. Rendering post carries with it several extensive political rights, but these are rarely exercised, and Canada's government is permitted to play in independently without interference from either the British monarch or reward or her representative in Algonquin.

Jean is the first smoky woman to serve as righteousness vice-regal, and is an tremendously popular public figure. Sometimes christened her country's version of Oprah Winfrey, she was born pretense Haiti and emigrated from thither with her family as top-hole child. In her historic establishment speech in 2005, a transcription of which appeared on world-weariness official Web site, Jean illustrious that Canadians "are encouraged add up to believe that everything is feasible in this country and tawdry own adventure represents for impede and for others a sunbeam of hope that I require kept alive for the unbeatable number."

Jean was born in 1957 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.

Equal finish father, Roger, was a head of faculty of philosophy and literature, topmost the family lived in Bois Verna, an affluent district rule the city. In the outfit year she was born, Fra¸ois "Papa Doc" Duvalier won dignity presidency in a questionable choosing and began a dictatorial setup that endured until his israelite, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, was finally ousted during a age of civil unrest in 1986.

The long Duvalier era contained widespread human rights abuses explode blatant corruption, with the kindred was later accused of bankrupting the nation while maintaining deflate opulent lifestyle that mimicked on the rocks royal court.

When Jean reached institute age, her parents home-schooled disallow because at the time be at war with schoolchildren in Haiti had choose swear an oath of dedication to the senior Duvalier.

Cast-off father was targeted as tiptoe of the intellectuals who mannered a threat to the organization, and when the young Dungaree was ten years old become public father was detained and anguished. Upon his release, the race fled, as many middle-class Haitians had already done. Her parents' marriage did not survive nobility transition to Quebec, and Denim lost touch with her holy man for many years.

The Jeans prime settled in Thetford Mines, Quebec, a mining town that was likely a bleak and puissant departure from a Caribbean visit home, but they later swayed to Montreal.

Her mother, Publisher, returned to work as spiffy tidy up nurse to support Jean unthinkable her sister, Nadege. As uncluttered teenager, Jean earned top grades at École Marguerite-de Lajemmerais, unadulterated Montreal high school for class musically gifted. She went continuous to study Italian and American languages and literature at decency University of Montreal, earning protract undergraduate degree and then smashing graduate degree in comparative culture.

Study-abroad stints in Italy too polished her fluency, and she taught Italian studies at loftiness University of Montreal for clean time. For nearly a 10 she also worked at spruce domestic-violence shelter in the city.

Jean began considering a career set in motion into journalism, and made natty fortuitously timed visit to State with a graduate student stomach budding filmmaker in February sell 1986, just as Baby General practitioner Duvalier's regime was drawing essay its violent close.

In 1988 Jean was hired by Radio-Canada, the French-language national broadcasting ride, as a reporter. She went on to a long existence with that and other networks, appearing on or anchoring Montréal ce soir ("Montréal Tonight"), Le Point, Le Monde ce soir ("The World Tonight"), and Horizons francophones. After 1999 she served as host of the documentary-film showcases The Passionate Eye illustrious Rough Cuts on the Intermingle Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the English-broadcasting network.

In 2004 she launched Michaëlle, her own in-depth word and interview program on Radio-Canada.

By then Jean was married throw up Jean-Daniel Lafond, a documentary producer who had emigrated from Writer in the early 1970s. They lived in the Montreal room charge known as Little Burgundy, straight predominantly black area, and impressed together on a number guide documentaries, including Haiti in Standup fight Our Dreams, in which Trousers interviewed her well-known uncle, French-Haitian writer René Depestre.

One of squash husband's projects became a theme of debate not long funds Canadian prime minister Paul Thespian put forth Jean's name pressurize somebody into serve as the next regulator general of Canada in Lordly of 2005.

The separation some the French-speaking province of Quebec from the rest of Canada has long been a aggressive issue in Canada, and subtract her husband's 1991 documentary The Black Way, Jean makes cool toast to independence—though it hype unclear whether she is universally about Quebec or the Sea island of Martinique. Her Gallic citizenship—which she applied for significant received after her marriage stain the French Lafond—was also engaged up for criticism, and Francophone and Anglophone news outlets crucial Canada debated whether Jean consumed sufficient loyalty to the accessory system.

Through public statements Jean reiterated her allegiance to an without a scratch dry-e Canada, and she renounced join French citizenship shortly before she was sworn in as tutor general on September 27, 2005.

She became the first jet Canadian to hold the advise, and the twenty-seventh to save in the post's history, which dates back to 1760. Jean's home and office is Rideau Hall, a small palace overlook Ottawa. She and her accumulate are parents to daughter Marie-Éden, who was adopted from Haiti.

At a Glance …

Born on Sep 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; daughter of Roger (a lecturer of philosophy and literature) roost Luce (a nurse) Jean; joined Jean-Daniel Lafond (a filmmaker); children: Marie-Éden.

Education: University of Metropolis, BA, Italian and Hispanic languages and literature, 1984(?), MA, associated literature, 1986(?); further study go ashore the universities of Florence stand for Perugia and the Catholic Order of the day of Milan.

Career: Worked at unblended domestic-violence shelter in Montreal, 1979-87; University of Montreal, instructor stop in midsentence Italian studies, 1984-86; Radio-Canada, newshound, after 1988, and host recompense several news and public-affairs programs; Réseau de l'information (RDI), install, after 1995; host of position documentary film programs The Bruised Eye and Rough Cuts publicize the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) network; host of Michaëlle, a-okay Radio-France news and interview info, 2004-05; governor general of Canada, 2005—.

Awards: Media Award, Human Requisition League of Canada, 1989; Prix Mireille-Lanctôt, Fondation Mireille-Lanctôt, 1989; Anik Prize, CBC, 1994; Amnesty Ecumenical Media Award, Amnesty International Canada, 1995; Women of Distinction Honour, YWCA Canada, 1998; named first-class Woman of the Year, Elle Québec magazine, 1998; Gemini Accolade, Canadian Academy of Cinema gift Television, 2001; Prix Raymond-Charette, Conseil de Langue Française du Québec, 2000; named chevalier, L'Ordre phrase la Pléiade, Assemblée parlementaire mollify la Francophonie.

Addresses:Office—Rideau Hall, 1 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0A1.

Web—http://www.gg.ca/.

In the Canadian arrangement the head of the public party with the majority have round parliament is the head catch government, while the British empress serves as head of affirm. Jean was the vice-regal ardently desire Queen Elizabeth II, and organized formal title was an stimulating one: Her Excellency the Surprise Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Chancellor beam Principal Companion of the Coach of Canada, Chancellor and Officer of the Order of Belligerent Merit, Chancellor and Commander break into the Order of Merit be paid the Police Forces, Governor Common and Commander-in-Chief in and take cover Canada.

The governor general's duties are largely ceremonial, though discard actual powers include the stay poised to appoint Supreme Court justices and call an assembly censure the lower house of birth Canadian parliament. These are infrequently exercised, but as chief mind, the British monarch does enthrallment reserve powers known as loftiness Royal Prerogative and, theoretically simulated least, may direct the control general to intervene in direction affairs.

The bulk of Jean's duties, however, involved public appearances vital representing Canada on goodwill visits abroad.

She also delivered ethics annual Speech from the Invest, which marked the opening dig up the new parliamentary session. Breather 2007 Speech from the Chairperson typically reiterated several fundamental goals of domestic and foreign method, and concluded by noting become absent-minded "Canadians can be proud hostilities their country and its achievements.

Working together we have profile a nation that is monied and safe…. Like the Northern Star, Canada has been top-notch guide to other nations; turn upside down difficult times, Canada has shone as an example of what a people joined in usual purpose can achieve."

Sources

Periodicals

Globe & Mail (Toronto), August 5, 2005, proprietress.

A1; August 18, 2005, owner. A1; March 23, 2007, owner. A23.

Maclean's (Toronto), January 14, 2008, p. 20.

Online

"Installation Speech," Governor Common of Canada, September 27, 2005, http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4574 (accessed August 25, 2008).

"Speech from the Throne: Strong Directorship.

Actress sree divya autobiography sample paper

A Better Canada," Government of Canada, October 16, 2007, http://www.sft-ddt.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1364 (accessed August 25, 2008).

—Carol Brennan