Dyane Adam, (born 1953 in Casselman,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

) was the Canadian

Official Languages Commissioner An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of the ...

from 1999 to 2006. She was responsible for promoting

bilingualism Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

within the government of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. She holds a PhD in psychology from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

and taught at this university, as well as at

Glendon College Glendon College is a public liberal arts college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formally the federated bilingual campus of York University, it is one of the school's nine colleges and 11 faculties with 100 full-time faculty members and a student po ...

and

Laurentian University Laurentian University (), officially Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Laurentian offers a variety of undergr ...

. After she had led a campaign to preserve bilingualism at

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

and

Montfort Hospital Montfort Hospital (), commonly shortened to Montfort in both English and French, is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Ottawa. It offers short-term primary and secondary health care, offering service in both the French and E ...

, then-

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

appointed her Official Languages Commissioner. As Commissioner of Official Languages, Dr. Adam has often been critical of the government in regards to the application of the Official Languages Act within the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

, on the Internet, in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

and in the airline industry. She took part in the elaboration of the 2003-2008 government action plan on official languages. She had a key role in the 2005 modification of the Official Languages Act, which expanded the prerogatives of part 7 of the Act, requiring all federal departments and agencies to take positive actions for the development of Canada's Official Languages minority communities. In September 2006, after her term had been extended by several months, it was announced that

Graham Fraser Graham Fraser (born 1946) is a Canadian former journalist and writer who served as Canada's sixth Commissioner of Official Languages. He is the author of several books, both in English and French. Early life and education Fraser is the son o ...

would replace her. She was awarded honorary doctorates from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Université de Moncton The Université de Moncton is a Canadian French-language university in New Brunswick. It includes campuses in Edmundston, Moncton, and Shippagan. The university was founded in 1963 following the recommendations of the royal commission on hig ...

Saint Paul University Saint Paul University () is a bilingual Catholic university federated with the University of Ottawa since 1965. It is located on Main Street in Canada's capital city, Ottawa, Ontario. Fully bilingual, it offers instruction in both of the countr ...

as well as an honorary diploma from

Collège Boréal Collège Boréal d’arts appliqués et de technologie is a French-language college of applied arts and technology serving the Northern and Central Southwestern Ontario area. It is the youngest of the 24 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology ...

. Dr. Adam was also made Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes académiques de la France et Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade de l'Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie. She received the Golden Jubilee Medal of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2013. In September 2016, Dr. Adam was appointed by the provincial government to chair the French Language University Planning Board which led to the creation of the

Université de l'Ontario français The Université de l’Ontario français (abbreviated as UOF; ) is a French-language public university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university campus is situated in the East Bayfront neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, near the Toronto waterfro ...

(UOF) in 2018. Dr. Adam served as the chair of the university's board of governors from 2018 to 2022. In 2019, a French-language elementary school in Milton, Ontario, was named after her.

Referen

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, Dyane 1953 births Living people Canadian civil servants University of Ottawa alumni People from the United Counties of Prescott and Russell Members of the Order of Canada Recipients of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Commissioners of Official Languages (Canada) Academic staff of Glendon College Academic staff of the University of Ottawa Academic staff of Laurentian University