Local resident awarded Order de la Pléiade medal

Nipissing MPP Monique Smith
News Release

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The Honourable Monique Smith, MPP for Nipissing, was proud to welcome North Bay local Marguerite Martel to Queen’s Park this week where Mme. Martel was awarded the prestigious Order de la Pléiade medal by the Ontario Branch of l’assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF).

The Order de la Pléiade is an internationally recognized award bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to their francophone communities and who uphold the ideals of l’assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF).

One of just 40 individuals honoured worldwide this year, Mme. Martel was presented with the medal by the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. She was recognized for her lifetime contribution to promoting and protecting the French language and francophone rights in Ontario.

As a mother to six children, Mme Martel, along with her husband, Normand, was committed to raising and educating her children in French, despite living in a community where francophones were a minority. A determined and committed educator, her passion for the French language continued in her work with students with learning disabilities, and was instrumental in her fight to have additional courses available for French-speaking people. Her contributions to a variety of provincial associations led to a leadership position as president of l’Association des enseignantes et enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) and her receipt of an honourable mention by la Fédération des enseignants de l’Ontario (FEO).

Even in retirement Mme. Martel continued to promote the importance of French language, through her involvement with a variety of provincial committees for l’association française des conseils scolaires de l’Ontario (AFCSO) and as a delegate at the national level to l’Association canadienne d’éducation de langue française (ACELF). In 1979 she was invited by the federal Minister of Justice to help restructure the parole and prison system to better ensure that the rights of francophone prisoners and parolees were respected. At the end of her term the province of Ontario presented her with an achievement award for her contributions.

Mme. Martel was joined by three of her children at the ceremony at Queen’s Park on May 4, which was followed by a reception in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite and included an introduction by the Speaker in the House and an official dinner that evening.

“The francophone community in Nipissing, as well as across Ontario and our country, is indebted to Marguerite Martel for her dedication in promoting the French language and protecting francophone rights,” said MPP Monique Smith. “I am thrilled that her life’s work has been formally recognized with the Order de la Pléiade. She could not be more deserving and we could not be more proud.”

Founded in Luxembourg in 1967, the APF is an international Interparliamentary association comprising of seventy-seven branches organized by region: Europe, Africa, North America and Asia-Pacific. In addition to promoting the French language and a greater understanding among French-speaking people, the APF promotes democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Interparliamentary cooperation is one of its preferred spheres of activity.

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