The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner Appoints a New Director General

TORONTO, Jan. 11, 2016 /CNW/ - The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario announces the appointment of Mr. Jean-Gilles Pelletier as director general. Mr. Pelletier is the first person to hold this newly created position in the Commissioner's Office. Reporting directly to Commissioner François Boileau, he took office on January 5, 2016. The creation of this position was made necessary by the increase in the human and financial resources of the Commissioner's Office.

During his career, which spans more than 20 years, Mr. Pelletier has acquired extensive experience in the public sector, holding a number of executive positions. Until very recently, he was Vice-President, Community Investments, with the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

From 2008 to 2014, Mr. Pelletier was Director, Administration and Official Languages, for the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. Before that, he was executive director of the Centre francophone de Toronto (CFT), a multidisciplinary service centre, from 1997 to 2008. Under his leadership, the CFT merged with the Centre médico-social communautaire de Toronto.

As a member of many provincial advisory committees, Mr. Pelletier played a key role in the establishment of the French-language health planning entities. In 2007, he was the first chair of Health Minister George Smitherman's French-language services advisory committee. Previously, he worked for the Ontario government for about 10 years in the Ministry of Finance and the Office of Francophone Affairs.

Mr. Pelletier studied sociology and political science at Laval University, Simon Fraser University and the University of Toronto.

In the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, Mr. Pelletier has a range of duties. As operations manager, he is responsible for human, financial and administrative resources and oversees day-to-day operations. His role also extends to setting strategic objectives and developing programs and policies. Mr. Pelletier's initial assignments will be to hire staff and move the Commissioner's Office to new spaces.

QUOTES

"We are fortunate to be able to count on the expertise of a person of Jean-Gilles Pelletier's calibre to support us in the all of the major changes on the horizon. He is a seasoned manager with a well-established reputation. He has outstanding qualities, both as a human being and as an administrator. His experience in the health, education and community affairs sectors and the negotiating skills he has demonstrated at the provincial and federal levels are major assets. I am certain that he will provide the Commissioner's Office with the kind of guidance that will benefit all of the province's Francophone residents."

-   Mr. François Boileau, French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario

"It is an honour for me to join the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner. The Commissioner's Office is entering a pivotal period of its history, which includes the expansion of its team and its impending 10^th anniversary, as well as the 30^th anniversary of the French Language Services Act in 2016. I hope to help make the Commissioner's Office even more proactive in its mission of ensuring the integrated delivery of French-language services in support of the development of the Francophone community and Ontarian society."

-   Mr. Jean-Gilles Pelletier, Director General, Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario

The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner reports directly to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Its principal mandate is to ensure compliance with the French Language Services Act in the delivery of government services.

Disponible en français

SOURCE Office of the French Language Services Commissioner

For inquiries or interview requests: Sorinna Chim, Communications and Public Relations Officer, Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, Telephone: [phone] or 1-888-305-8247 (toll free), Email: [email protected]