Timmins teacher receives top honour

OTTAWA, March 17 /CNW Telbec/ - The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) bestowed its Lifetime Membership Award to former provincial President, Paul Taillefer, during its 2010 Policy Convention held in Ottawa this week. Only 15 other AEFO members have received this award during the Association's 70-year history.

Mr. Taillefer first became involved with his labour organization while teaching at École secondaire Thériault in Timmins. He held various positions in his local AEFO unit before being elected as its full-time president in 2000. He has been a member of AEFO's provincial Governing Council since 1998 and sat on the Executive Committee for nine years. He served as provincial President from 2004 to 2008, and has since been re-elected as president of the North-Eastern Catholic Unit.

Mr. Taillefer has been an active member of other teacher organizations at the provincial, national and international levels. He sits on the Board of the Directors of the Ontario Teachers' Federation and is Vice-President of the Canadian Teachers' Federation. He also participated in two international organizations dedicated to the promotion of education and the teaching profession.

"Paul has proven himself to be an energetic and politically astute leader, says AEFO President, Benoit Mercier. He has been a most effective spokesperson for AEFO, the teaching profession and publicly funded education. He believes deeply in Canada's linguistic duality and has worked tirelessly to promote French-language education in Ontario and across the country."

In the last federal elections, Paul Taillefer was the Liberal candidate in the riding of Timmins-James Bay.

AEFO represents 9,500 teachers and education workers in Ontario's French-language elementary and secondary schools, both Catholic and public, and workers in other French-language establishments.

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