The Hon. Lise Thibault Source

The Honourable Lise Thibault, LL.D., D.C.L. First woman Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Born in Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan in the Lanaudière region on April 2, 1939.

Honours and Awards: Named Woman of Distinction by the YWCA of Montréal in the Business, Professions and Entrepreneurship category (1994); recipient of a medal from the Édouard-Montpetit Foundation of the Faculty of Social, Economic and Political Science of the University of Montréal. Holder of three honorary degrees: Doctor of Laws from Concordia University in Montréal, Doctor of Civil Law from Bishop's University in Lennoxville, and Doctor of Laws from Anna Maria College, Paxton, Massachusetts. Lady of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem and Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Francis. Awarded the Golden Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2002).

Lise Thibault was educated at boarding schools in the Lanaudière and Montréal area, including the Académie Marie-Anne in Montréal, and continued her studies at a teachers' college, the École normale de Saint-Jérôme. While she was still a teenager, she fractured her spine in a serious tobogganing accident. The disability caused by this injury worsened with each of her two pregnancies, eventually requiring her to use a wheelchair.

Nonetheless, Lise Thibault has always remained very active. Her public life began when, as a young mother, she became involved in school committees. She later founded the Club des Femmes d'aujourd'hui and taught adult education. From 1979 to 1984, she hosted programs on community and family issues at Télé-Métropole and Radio-Canada. She is the author of four volumes on the Gobelins tapestries and is a contributor to the magazine Le temps de vivre. Her commitment to social issues has included active involvement in numerous community activities and cultural, political and social endeavours.

Lise Thibault first became involved in public affairs as a member of the commission established by the Quebec Department of Education to oversee the language of instruction and as the provincial chairperson of Canada Day celebrations. From 1987 to 1993, she was vice-president in charge of relations with beneficiaries at the Quebec Occupational Health and Safety Commission. From 1993 to 1995, she was president and chief executive officer of Quebec's Office des personnes handicapées. During these periods, she also sat on various boards of directors, including those of the Quebec Rental Board and the Canadian Red Cross.

On January 30, 1997, Lise Thibault was sworn in as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. She is the first woman to hold that office in Quebec. The Thibaults have two children and six grandchildren.

Suggested Readings

The Canadian Encyclopedia. "Thibault, Lise." Historica Foundation of Canada.
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params;=J1ART
J0009637
(accessed September 26, 2005).

The Canadian French-Speaking World. "The Great Names of the French Canadian Community: Lise Thibault."
http://edimage.ca/edimage/grandspersonnages/en/carte_r04.html
(accessed September 26, 2005).

Denis, France. "La force d'avancer." Profil. Vol. 12, no. 1, p. 4-6.

Lefebvre, Jean-Paul. "Aimer ce que l'on fait et faire ce que l'on aime." Présence Magazine. Vol. 6, no. 43, (June-July 1997), p. 12-14.

Legault, Lucie. "L'Honorable Lise Thibault: Aimer, oser et faire avancer la vie!" Justice-Santé. Vol. 27, no. 3, (September 2002), p. 10.

Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec. "Memories Are Built Over Time."
www.lieutenant-gouverneur.qc.ca/eng/index.html
(accessed September 26, 2005).

Stanton, Julie. "Lise Thibault: la passion des autres." Bel âge. Vol. 13, no. 6, (March 2000), p. 18-22.

Vallée, Pierre. "Améliorer la vie... autrement: la Fondation Lise Thibault." Entreprendre. Vol. 17, no. 4, (2004), p. 52.

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