Michaëlle Jean was Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie from 2014-2018. Here, she opens the 2016 Francophonie Summit in Madagascar.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean
The first Black Governor General of Canada
Date of birth
1957
Point of origin
Haiti
Jean and her family fled Haiti in 1968, settling in Quebec.
Governor General Michaëlle Jean delivers the Throne Speech in the Senate, 3 March 2010. Listening beside her are Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) and Jean’s husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond (right).
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Journalist and public servant, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean.
michaellejean.ca
Governor General Michaëlle Jean inspects the Ceremonial Guard, 2010, with Parliament’s Peace Tower visible in the background.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Michaëlle Jean, 1957- , Haiti.
Jean and her family fled Haiti in 1968, settling in Quebec. She returned to Haiti in 1987 for a National Film Board production, starting her career in journalism. She was an accomplished reporter and host for CBC / RDI. In 2005, she was appointed Canada’s first Black Governor General. Upon completing her term in 2010, she was appointed UN special envoy to Haiti. From 2014-2018, she was the secretary-general of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
