On behalf of the Halifax Peninsula and Mainland South Canadian Parents for French Chapter, we are delighted to announce and give thanks that Rebecca Lancaster, Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French Nova Scotia, has been named as the recipient, the inaugural Francophone Award for her outstanding promotion of French in the province of Nova Scotia.
Ms. Lancaster received this prestigious award from His Honour, the Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor Arthur LeBlanc at Government House in Halifax on October 7th, 2021.
She received the award in the Francophile category. She is not a Francophone but a tireless advocate for bilingualism in Nova Scotia, she promotes French language and its culture in her daily interactions.
In her nomination, it was noted that Ms. Lancaster, under her leadership for the past 15 years has expanded the programming for French Second Language students considerably.
She has also served on the Francophone, Acadian, and Francophile committees to promote French. In addition, she has organized conferences, French cultural events, educational stakeholders’ meetings in the Canadian bilingual framework.
In her own words: “the most rewarding part is seeing young Nova Scotians grow up participating in the Concours d’art oratoire, in the CPF French summer camp programs, then to meet them as adults, they often have chosen to be French teachers or are incorporating French into their career paths! ”
Ms. Lancaster moved her young family from Montreal to Nova Scotia in 2003. She holds an undergraduate BA degree in Classical Languages and Archaeology from Concordia University. Although she was educated in Latin and Ancient Greek however being functionally bilingual has helped her frequently in her career.
Rebecca Lancaster CPF recipient Francophone Award for her outstanding promotion of French