The board of the Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique announces with great sadness that Marie-Andrée Asselin will be stepping down as Executive Director of the organization on October 31st after nearly 25 years of commitment. Last December, Ms. Asselin announced her eventual departure from the Fédération des parents. In early November she will join the national organization representing parents, the Commission nationale des parents francophones (CNPF), as Executive Director.
In May 2001, Marie-Andrée Asselin joined the ranks of the Fédération des parents as Administrative Director. In the summer of 2009, she became Executive Director following the departure of Marc Gignac, who was then Director of Strategic Development (the executive director position was split between two positions at the time).
From 2010 to 2020, on behalf of the Fédération des parents and in conjunction with the Conseil scolaire francophone de la C.-B., Ms. Asselin participated in the legal battle for equivalence in French-language education, which resulted in a win for the Francophone community. Marie-Andrée Asselin was also the initiator of the Summit on the Transmission of French Language, the first summit having taken place in 2018, and the second in 2020. A third summit took place in March 2025.
Under her leadership and thanks to a strong and capable team, the Fédération des parents has experienced considerable growth, notably with the creation of le Phare C.-B. – an entity whose mandate is to help the development of child care centres by supporting their start-up and optimizing their management. Le Phare C.-B. currently manages 14 child care centres across the province, and two more will be added in 2026. The organization’s growth has continued more recently with the creation of the Francophone Child Care Resource and Referral (FCCRR).
Christian Leclerc, President of the Fédération des parents, believes that Ms. Asselin’s expertise, passion, and leadership have enabled the Fédération des parents to implement several major projects and achieve strong growth. “Marie-Andrée has been a constant in the Francophone community, remaining with the Fédération des parents for nearly 25 years. We thank her warmly for the dedication she has put into her work, as well as for her contribution to the development of the Francophone education continuum in British Columbia. We wish her every success in her future endeavours.”
The hiring committee is currently in the process of hiring a new Executive Director.
