Congratulations to Professor Carole Fleuret, winner of the 2025 Gilles Paquet Award from Acfas, the world’s largest association for the promotion and advancement of French-language research.
Established in 2022, the prize pays tribute to Gilles Paquet (1936-2019), a former Acfas president and ardent supporter of research on French in minority-language settings. The distinction celebrates researchers in Canadian institutions outside Quebec whose exceptional work enriches and broadens Francophone scholarship.
In the company of numerous distinguished recipients from various fields, Fleuret accepted her award during the 81st Acfas Gala, held on November 20 in the picturesque Grand Quay Pavilion at the Port of Montreal.
Creating positive change
“Professor Fleuret’s work has changed society for the better, especially in the context of minority French-speaking communities in Canada,” says Francis Bangou, Dean of the Faculty of Education.
"She is a pioneer in linguistic and cultural inclusion in schools. Throughout her career, she has paved the way in a field of research that holds deep relevance in our contemporary society,” he adds.
For over twenty years, Fleuret has exemplified excellence in research and academic engagement, notably as a leading international expert in plurilingual and intercultural approaches to education. Her work continues to advance understanding of how increased migration and linguistic diversity shape the experiences of students and teachers in schools. Fleuret’s contributions bridge the gap between academic theory and classroom practice by advancing pedagogical strategies that celebrate French as a shared language of education, while also valuing students’ first languages. This same perspective informs Fleuret’s co-edited volume Didactique du français en contextes minoritaires, Entre normes scolaires et plurilinguismes, which has become an essential reference for understanding the dynamics of French language education within Canada’s linguistically diverse communities.
Fleuret’s expertise and leadership were also instrumental in the design and development of the reading curriculum “Lire un jour, lire toujours !” published in 2025 for Ontario’s 12 French-language school boards. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education and managed by the Consortium Centre Jules-Léger, Fleuret was a co-lead in the creation, testing, and implementation of teaching resources. Her work was pivotal to the project’s success in empowering educators to enrich their teaching practices and in advancing literacy education in the province’s Francophone schools.
Dedication to intercultural learning
“I am honoured to be the recipient of the Gilles Paquet Award. Since arriving in Ontario nearly twenty years ago, I have sought to better understand the issues at stake from a perspective of living together, particularly the inclusion of immigrant communities and their educational success stories, as they represent a minority within a minority, in Ontario’s French-language schools,” says Fleuret.
“Although there is still much to be done, this award is an opportunity for me to take stock and look ahead. I am grateful to see that my research initiatives have been recognized within the Francophone academic community.”
“Beyond personal recognition, I am especially pleased that this award underscores the essence of my scholarly convictions, namely that second language learning cannot be considered without taking into account students’ languages of origin within an intercultural context, in order to better address their needs,” she explains.
“I have sought to better understand the issues at stake from a perspective of living together, particularly the inclusion of immigrant communities and their educational success stories...”
Carole Fleuret
— Full Professor, Faculty of Education
About Carole Fleuret
Carole Fleuret is a full professor in the Faculty of Education. She holds a PhD in education (French didactics) from l'Université de Montréal. Her research on second language teaching and learning focuses on plurilingualism, inclusion, and intercultural approaches. Fleuret’s work is positioned at the intersection of sociology (social language practices), anthropology (written socialization), and linguistics. She was among the recipients of the 2021-2022 University of Ottawa Excellence in Education Prizes awarded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs. She is also an education commentator on the Francophone radio station UniqueFM. Her forthcoming co-authored book Pour une réussite scolaire des nouveaux arrivants en contexte francophone minoritaire: défis langagiers et socioculturels (Bangou and Fleuret), will be published by the University of Ottawa Press.
