Bernard Landry is mistaken: Michaëlle Jean represents a real opportunity for La Francophonie.
October 28, 2014
I was surprised to read Bernard Landry’s statement that Michaëlle Jean’s experience as a former governor general of Canada disqualifies her for the position of secretary general of La Francophonie.
Mr. Landry appears to forget that the candidate he supports, Jean-Claude de l’Estrac, is also from a Commonwealth country (Mauritius), whose head of state is the Queen of England!
Should the ties between Mauritius and the British crown disqualify Jean-Claude de l’Estrac? Surely not. Such symbolic battles and condescendence are antiquated and do not reflect the challenges of La Francophonie.
Nowadays organizations like La Francophonie must continually strive to remain relevant and add value to their member countries. Therefore, the choice of the next secretary general involves the future of La Francophonie and will determine whether or not it is recognized as a major player on the international stage.
In La Francophonie, as elsewhere, it is all about leadership. In that respect, Michaëlle Jean’s vision demonstrates an excellent understanding of the issues of La Francophonie. In addition to her desire to continue the political commitment of her predecessors, she wishes to strengthen the economic component of the mandate of La Francophonie, which would meet the expectations of developing countries.
As well, La Francophonie has more work to do to reach out to populations in the French-speaking community and convince them that it is addressing their concerns. The support Michaëlle Jean has gained in Canadian communities as governor general will in fact be the key to her success should she be elected secretary general.
Lastly, it is now critical for leaders of international organizations to be able to convey messages effectively and convincingly through the media. Michaëlle Jean is an outstanding, emphatic, multilingual communicator.
In short, Michaëlle Jean’s personal background and career path, and the unique experience she has gained on the international stage as governor general, Grand Témoin de la Francophonie and special envoy for UNESCO would provide her with the means to achieve her ambitious and visionary plan for La Francophonie. Heads of state and government leaders have the opportunity to write a new chapter of history and set an example by electing the first woman to the helm of La Francophonie. Getting back to Mr. Landry’s arguments, it would have been nice to have a debate on the merits.
Who am I to defend Michaëlle Jean’s bid? I’ll be a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada in the next election; however, it’s because of my career in diplomacy and my perspective on the importance of the International Francophonie for Quebec and Canada that I was startled upon reading Bernard Landry’s statements.
Claude Boucher
Team Trudeau Candidate for Lévis–Lotbinière in the 2015 Federal Election
Former Advisor to Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Ghali
Former Ambassador of Canada to Haiti