Normand Labrie

Normand Labrie

Normand Labrie is president and vice chancellor of the Université de l’Ontario français. Previously, as a professor at the University of Toronto, he served as interim dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education; associate dean, Programs; associate dean, Research and Graduate Studies; and head of the Centre de recherches en éducation franco-ontarienne. He was also scientific director, from 2012 to 2015, of the Fonds de recherche du Québec–Société et culture.

A professor of sociolinguistics, Labrie has distinguished himself with his work on linguistic pluralism, a field he has studied from several angles, ranging from language practices and linguistic policies to identity building and access to education for francophones living in French-language minority communities. As an invited professor, he has taught sociolinguistics and Canadian studies at the Freie Universität Berlin, the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris 3) and the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel.

For several years, Labrie acted as an international expert on linguistic minorities for the European Commission. He also chaired the Réseau international des observatoires du français et des langues nationales at the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie. From 2013 to 2017, he represented Canada on the Intergovernmental Council of UNESCO's Management of Social Transformations program, where he was elected rapporteur. Labrie was named a chevalier of the Order of La Pléiade in 2007, in recognition of his contributions to the Francophonie in Ontario. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016.