Mona Fortier, who obtained her MBA in 1998 and received the Telfer School of Management’s Young Achiever Award in 2011, was named an “associate” of the Compagnie des Cents-Associés francophones in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the promotion and development of French-Canadian culture.
Community involvement and volunteer work have been a part of Mona Fortier’s life since adolescence. Having come from a military Franco-Ontarian family, Mona quickly understood the importance of personal involvement in contributing to the development and growth of Francophones in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada. Over the years, Mona shared her expertise and desire for change with many organizations. Franco-Ontarian youth, education, health, municipal, provincial and federal politics, cultural organizations and cooperative Francophone institutions are all areas in which she has been involved. She has demonstrated leadership on various boards of directors and strategic advisory boards by creating new initiatives and boosting some large-scale projects.
The mission of the Compagnie des Cents-Associés francophones is to give recognition to Canadians who have done exemplary volunteer work to promote and develop French-Canadian culture.
The Compagnie des Cent-Associés francophones takes its name from the Compagnie des Cent-Associés founded in 1627 by Cardinal Richelieu to promote the development of New France. At that time, the Compagnie members represented the elite of French aristocracy and wanted to “spread the principles of the Christian faith and take the glorious French culture all the way to the New World. “*
Inspired by these objectives, the Association canadienne d’Éducation de langue française gave this name to an association whose purpose was to pay tribute to the elite of French Canadians. The Compagnie was established in Quebec, in 1979, during the 32nd convention of the Association canadienne d’Éducation de langue française.
Click here to watch Mona's acceptance speech from the 2011 Gala of Excellence
