A historic celebration!

Mr. Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko is a professional and leader deeply committed to defending minority groups and the French language. Born in France of Beninese descent, he settled in Quebec, then worked for several years in Western Canada before moving to Toronto.

He has held several key positions serving Ontario's Francophone community, notably as Senior Investigator at the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario from 2015 to 2019, and then as Manager of the French Language Services Unit at the Ontario Ombudsman's Office. He subsequently served as Equity and Human Rights Commissioner for the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (Eastern Ontario Public School Board). He has also worked as a journalist, host, and producer at Radio-Canada. In June 2021, he was elected Vice-President of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA). He is currently Secretary General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO).

Madeleine Meilleur was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2003 under the Liberal banner for the riding of Ottawa-Vanier. Over the years, she has served successively as Minister of Culture, Minister of Community and Social Services, and then Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services for the Ontario government under the governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne. She became Ontario's Attorney General in 2014, a position she held until her retirement from politics on June 9, 2016. A staunch advocate for the French language in Ontario, Ms. Meilleur championed the rights and interests of Franco-Ontarians, first at Ottawa City Hall, then at Queen's Park as Minister of Francophone Affairs from 2003 to 2016. Throughout her career, Ms. Meilleur received numerous distinctions, including the Order of Merit from the Association des juristes d'expression française (Association of French-Speaking Jurists) and the 2016 Bastarache-Charron Prize. She was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic in 2012 and awarded the Order of Ottawa in 2019. In 2017, the Dominican University College awarded her an honorary doctorate, and La Cité collégiale awarded her an honorary diploma in 2019. The Civil Law Section of the University of Ottawa also awarded her the Order of Merit in 2016.

Charles Beer's career represents over 50 years of experience in government and in service to non-profit organizations. Here are a few examples of his contributions to Ontario's Francophone community. As the Member of the Legislative Assembly for York North for eight years (1987-95), he chaired Ontario's Special Committee on the Meech Lake Accord; he served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education responsible for French-language issues; he was Minister of Community and Social Services and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs. In 2009, his report to the government recommended the creation of French-language health services planning entities. Later, he supported the French Language Services Commissioner on various budgetary matters. Regarding his support for non-profit organizations: in 2017-18, he served as an advisor to the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBSA). And since 2019, he has been a special advisor to the White Trill Community for the creation of a 'French-speaking village' for seniors in the city of Aurora, York region.

François Boileau assumed the role of Taxpayers' Ombudsman of Canada on October 5, 2020. In this capacity, Mr. Boileau works to improve the service the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) provides to taxpayers by reviewing service-related complaints and identifying systemic service-related issues that affect more than one person or segment of the population. He also makes formal recommendations to the Minister of National Revenue and informal suggestions to the CRA to enhance the service the CRA provides to taxpayers.

From 2007 to 2019, he served as Ontario's French Language Services Commissioner, an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly. His role involved receiving complaints from the public and making recommendations on matters related to the application of the French Language Services Act.

For nearly 30 years, as a senior executive, he has developed expertise as an ombudsman, as well as in monitoring, investigation and governance.