Lise Bissonnette at University of Ottawa

Lise Bissonnette (born December 13, 1945) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer and journalist.

Biography

Born in Rouyn,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, Bissonnette studied education science at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

from 1965 to 1970. She later pursued doctoral studies at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ...

and the

École pratique des hautes études The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. In 1974, she became a reporter for the daily newspaper ''

Le Devoir ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large- ...

''. She became the parliamentary correspondent in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, then in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, before taking on the position of editorialist and, finally, that of writer-in-chief in 1982. From 1986 to 1990, she worked as an independent journalist and consultant, and collaborated with many Quebec and Canadian media organizations. She writes a weekly article on Quebec affairs for the Canadian daily newspaper '' The Globe and Mail'', as well as monthly articles for the magazines ''

L'actualité ''L'actualité'' is a Canadian French-language news and general interest magazine published in Montreal by Rogers Communications until 2016, then by Mishmash (XPND Capital). The magazine has over a million readers, according to Canada's Print Mea ...

'' and ''

Montreal Magazine Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

''. In 1990, she returned to ''Le Devoir'', where she served as editor-in-chief until 1998. Bissonnette appears regularly as an analyst on both French and English news programs on public and private radio and television networks. She has also published two novels, ''Marie suivait l'été'' (1992) and ''Affaires d'art'' (1996), and a short story collection, ''Quittes et doubles'' (1997). She holds seven doctorates ''honoris causa'': from the

Université de Sherbrooke The University of Sherbrooke (French: Université de Sherbrooke) (UdS) is a large public French-language university in Quebec, Canada with campuses located in Sherbrooke and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It i ...

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...

Concordia University Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the th ...

Laurentian University Laurentian University (french: Université Laurentienne), officially the Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Lau ...

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Mont ...

, and the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

.University of Ottawa - Honorary Doctorates Lise Bissonnette, 2011
/ref> Bissonnette was the president and general director of the

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec The Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec ( 'National Library and Archives of Quebec') or BAnQ is a Quebec government agency which manages the province's legal deposit system, national archives, and national library. Located at the G ...

, formerly known as the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. She was appointed to this position in 1998, and left the post after 11 years of service. She is a member of the Union of Quebec Writers.

Awards and honours

She was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction at the

1987 Governor General's Awards Each winner of the 1987 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. The ...

for her essay collection ''La passion du présent'', and for the Governor General's Award for French-language fiction at the

1992 Governor General's Awards Each winner of the 1992 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10,000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. English Fre ...

for ''Marie suivait l'été'' and at the 1997 Governor General's Awards for ''Quittes et doubles''. Bissonnette received the Order of Francophones of America in 1993. She was elected member of the Academy of Letters and the Social sciences of the Royal Society of Canada in 1994. In 1998, she was made an Officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...

. In 2000, she was awarded the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

, and received the new ''mérite d'honneur'' of French and of Francophone education, bestowed by the Quebec Minister of International Relations,

Louise Beaudoin Louise Beaudoin (born September 26, 1945 in Quebec City, Quebec) is a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Rosemont in the National Assembly of Quebec until 2012, as a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ). She sat as ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bissonnette, Lise 1945 births Living people Canadian newspaper reporters and correspondents Officers of the National Order of Quebec Officers of the Order of Canada University of Paris alumni Journalists from Quebec Writers from Quebec Canadian novelists in French Canadian short story writers in French People from Rouyn-Noranda Canadian women novelists Canadian women short story writers Canadian women journalists The Globe and Mail columnists Canadian women columnists 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian essayists 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian women essayists Canadian non-fiction writers in French Le Devoir people Canadian expatriates in France