Media

OTTAWA, October 26, 2011  —  At its ninth annual Distinguished Canadian Leadership Awards (DCLA) ceremony, the University of Ottawa paid tribute to four remarkable Canadians who have played a prominent role in the country and whose achievements have benefitted fellow citizens nationwide.

The event was hosted by Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, Quebec reporter for CTV’s entertainment news program eTalk.

This year, Patrick Chan, Phil Fontaine, and Louis Vachon received a DCLA, while France Chrétien-Desmarais was presented with the Meritas Tabaret Award for exemplary alumni.

Patrick Chan has been world figure skating champion since his victory at the Moscow championships in the spring of 2011, where he accomplished the feat of establishing world records in all three categories (short program, long program and combined score). He is also a two-time world silver medalist. In addition to being an athlete, he also dedicates much of his time to community service agencies and programs for youth, including the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Adopt–an–Athlete program, for which he serves as a mentor to low-income elementary students on fitness, health, goal setting and communication, and Right To Play, for which he serves as an athlete–ambassador. He is also in demand as a public speaker for sports, community and business groups. In 2009, Patrick Chan appeared on the Globe and Mail Power List of the 30 most influential people in sport in Canada.

Phil Fontaine is the longest-serving national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and the only national chief to serve three terms, from 1997 to 2000 and from 2003 to 2009. The youngest in an Ojibway family of 12, he was first elected chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation when he was 28. He then served as vice-chief for the Assembly of First Nations, and as grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. As AFN national chief, he negotiated the 2005 Indian Residential Schools Settlement, which provided $5.6 billion in compensation to survivors of abuse (of which he was one) and an apology from the Canadian government. He also sought to make the AFN more inclusive, functioning in both English and French, and recommended changes to its structure. In between his two stints as national chief, he served as chief commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission, helping to settle several land claims.

Louis Vachon was named president and CEO of the National Bank in June 2007, after holding various positions at the bank over a period of 15 years. He is responsible for strategy, orientation and development. His “One Client, One Bank” approach has led the bank to transform the way it provides client service. This year, the National Bank was named the strongest bank in North America (and third strongest in the world) by Bloomberg Markets. Louis Vachon is also chair of the Conseil des gouverneurs associés of the Université de Montréal, and is involved with a number of social and cultural organizations. Hailed for both his strategic vision and ability to use resources to achieve goals, he was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2002, in recognition of outstanding leadership in his field. His first experience in banking was with Citibank, in New York.

France Chrétien Desmarais, a University of Ottawa alumna in economics and law, has contributed to many organizations. Co-owner and chair of Maxi-Crisp Canada Inc., France Chrétien Desmarais is also a member of the board of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch. Mrs. Chrétien Desmarais is the vice-chair of the Guy Laliberté Foundation and ONE DROP (a project ensuring global accessibility to water and awareness to water issues). She is a member of the boards of the Partnership for a Drug-Free Canada, the Fondation québécoise du patrimoine and McGill’s International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors. She sits on the Brown Advisory Council on Asia Pacific and is a governor of UWC Pearson College. Mrs. Chrétien Desmarais served on the board of VANOC for the 2010 Vancouver Games and as founding chair of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. She was also chair of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, and remains on its executive committee.

For the University of Ottawa, exceptional leadership is characterized by qualities such as the expression and execution of a high purpose and of service to the community at large, an indelible impact on the community, innovative approaches to national concerns and aspirations, unwavering determination and significant contributions to the creation of a strong sense of Canadian community.