Appointee Biographies

NICOLAS ROULEAU

Nicolas Rouleau is a lawyer specializing in appeals and constitutional challenges. He has argued appeals in civil, criminal and constitutional cases before the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal for Ontario, as well as other provincial and federal appellate courts.

MARIE-FRANCE LEFORT

is Director and Senior Consultant with Proforem Inc. She is a former Manager with the Parent Involvement Office at the Ministry of Education. Her community involvement includes serving as Chair of the Association des femmes d’affaires francophones and as former French-Language Business Women Association.

NICOLAS ROULEAU

Nicolas M. Rouleau is an appellate and constitutional lawyer. He frequently argues cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and in other provinces. Prior to starting his own practice, Nicolas clerked for the Honourable Justice Marie Deschamps at the Supreme Court of Canada. He has received numerous academic scholarships, published on constitutional law and legal philosophy, presented at several conferences, and hosted Toronto's popular interdisciplinary Treehouse Talks. Nicolas has also lived in India and West Africa where he worked on international development and taught law. Mr. Rouleau holds a Masters of the Science of Law (JSM) from Stanford University and an L.L.B magna cum laude from the French Common Law Program at the University of Ottawa.

MÉLINA LEROUX

Having grown up in a minority Francophone community in Ontario, Mélina Leroux is well aware of the issues surrounding the Francophonie in Ontario. A graduate of l'Escale Catholic Secondary School in Rockland, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences with a specialization in political science with a minor in Francophonie studies. Mélina has participated in many events affecting the Francophonie in Ontario and Canada. She worked for nearly three years as coordinator of major events at the FESFO office. She spent time at the French Language Services Commissioner as a Communications and Community Relations Officer, before returning to FESFO where she briefly held the position of Assistant Director, before being appointed General Manager of the organization in April 2019. .

CHRISTINE LEDUC

Christine Leduc is a Registered Professional Forester with over a decade of professional experience in various policy, communications, forestry, and Indigenous relations positions. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto's Master of Forest Conservation program and passionate volunteer in various forest-related organizations. Christine moved to Timmins in 2021 to advance her career in forestry and start a family. She has a daughter named Madeleine.

HANANE JAOUICH

Hanane Jaouich, a Francophone, emigrated from France to Canada in 2008 in pursuit of career opportunities, with the needs of her French-speaking community at the top of her mind. She is proud of what she has been able to achieve, including founding the first Francophone home child care agency. She feels that children should be able to grow in a safe and stimulating environment in which the usage of French has pride of place. Hanane Jaouich also created several different projects to help French speakers living in Ontario to overcome the challenges that COVID-19 restrictions beset them with. Furthermore, she is a volunteer in a women’s shelter to educate women in difficulty on financial literacy. The needs of her fellow French-speaking Canadians have been at the fore of her career ever since she relocated to the York region in 2012.

CAROL JOLIN

In 1983, Carol Jolin arrived in Ontario, where he embarked on a 31-year career in the field of education. He was active in his union, the Association des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), for some two decades, including 15 years on the board of directors. Jolin later chaired the Centre-Est catholique branch for five years and went on to serve two two-year terms as provincial chair (starting in 2012). He also served for five years on the board of the SJFO community radio station and for two years on the board of the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO). Starting in 2016, Jolin was elected to three consecutive two-year terms as chair of the AFO, ensuring he remained actively involved in issues affecting Franco-Ontarians. He understands the importance of group dynamics, consensus building, and stakeholder mobilization for achieving positive social change.

ELODIE GRUNERUD

Along with a bachelor’s degree in communication and information studies and a master’s degree in political science, Élodie Grunerud has more than 15 years of Canadian and international (France, Morocco, Chile) experience in management, community economic development, teaching, research and communications. She has also earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential. Having also worked in Quebec and the Northwest Territories before taking the reins of AFNOO in 2011, Élodie boasts an extensive pan-Canadian professional network. Today, she actively leads a team dedicated to increasing the range of services available in French, building organizational capacity within the Francophone community and promoting community economic development in Northwestern Ontario.