Dyane Adam

Dyane Adam is the founding president and governor emerita of the Governance Council of the Université de l’Ontario français (UOF). She played a central role in the creation of this first autonomous French-language university in Ontario, serving as chair of the Planning Council for the French-language University and the Governance Council until 2022.

She is a former Commissioner of Official Languages for Canada. As the first woman to hold this position, she was instrumental in shaping the first Action Plan for Official Languages and played a key role in amending and strengthening Part VII of the Official Languages Act, which focuses on promoting Canadian linguistic duality, developing minority-language communities, and promoting the francophonie across the country.

Dyane Adam holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Ottawa. A native of Casselman, her career took her to Quebec and Ontario, where she combined private practice in clinical psychology with teaching and academic research. During this period, she notably served as Associate Vice-Rector for French-language teaching and services at Laurentian University in Sudbury, and later as Principal of Glendon College at York University in Toronto. Author of numerous professional and scientific publications, she has worked over the years with various provincial, national, and international organizations, notably advocating for the recognition of the rights of the francophone linguistic minority, women’s rights, access to French-language health and post-secondary education services, and community development.

The municipality of Casselman is not the first to recognize her work and dedication in these many areas. For her extensive accomplishments, she has been named a Member of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique, and Knight of the Order of La Pléiade of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie. She is also a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms of the French Republic, a Member of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés Francophones, and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal. In 2019, the Viamonde Public School Board named an elementary school in her honor in Milton, Ontario—École élémentaire Dyane-Adam. She has also received honorary doctorates from McGill University, the University of Ottawa, the Université de Moncton, Saint Paul University, Laurentian University, and Collège Boréal. Lastly, she has been inducted into the Hall of Fame at École secondaire catholique de Casselman and made a member of the Prescott-Russell Francophonie Order.