Team Members
Pénélope Cormier
Team Coordinator
Pénélope Cormier holds a Ph.D. in literary studies and is a professor at the Université de Moncton’s Edmundston campus where she specializes in Acadian and minority studies. A settler from Moncton, she has lived in Kapskuhsisok (Edmundston, N.B.) since 2012; she is currently learning the Wolastoqey language and is committed to supporting Wolastoqiyik language revitalization efforts. She is also interested in the social and artistic phenomena surrounding the cultural resurgence of Indigenous peoples, in particular the role of artists in the political, identity and linguistic affirmation of the Wolastoqiyik..
Mélanie LeBlanc
Team Coordinator
Noémie R. Lavoie
Director of marketing and technology-enhanced learning
Édith Bélanger
Indigenous Consultant and Researcher
Édith Bélanger is a member of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation (Que). Director of the research sector of the Institut Ashukan (Ashukan Institute), she is also a columnist for Radio-Canada – Espaces autochtones and has worked as a political analyst for the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador. She holds a D.E.S.S in public administration in an Indigenous context from the École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP) and is a doctoral student at the École d’études autochtones (School of Indigenous Studies) of the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue in traditional Indigenous governance. She also works as a translator and has published a collection of short stories entitled Les arbres murmurent notre histoire (2020).
Allan Tremblay
Language Carrier and Translator
Allan Tremblay is an Elder and Language Carrier from Neqotkuk First Nation (N.B.). Native speaker of the Wolastoqey language, he has translated many children’s books and has acted as language advisor on artistic projects such as Nmihtaqs Sqotewamqol / La cendre de ses os [Bone ashes] (2019) by Dave Jenniss. He is a registered translator-interpretor at the Translation Bureau of Canada for the House of Commons and Senate. He is also an instructor: he has taught for many years in New Brunswick’s anglophone schools, and today delivers Wolastoqey language classes to adult learners.
Édith Bélanger
Indigenous Consultant and Researcher
Édith Bélanger is a member of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation (Que). Director of the research sector of the Institut Ashukan (Ashukan Institute), she is also a columnist for Radio-Canada – Espaces autochtones and has worked as a political analyst for the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador. She holds a D.E.S.S in public administration in an Indigenous context from the École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP) and is a doctoral student at the École d’études autochtones (School of Indigenous Studies) of the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue in traditional Indigenous governance. She also works as a translator and has published a collection of short stories entitled Les arbres murmurent notre histoire (2020).
Lisa-Maude Aubin-Bérubé
Educational Resource Developer
Lisa-Maude Aubin-Bérubé, a member of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation (Que.), is a graduate of Wəlastəkwey Latowewakən Ihtələkehkitimək (Maliseet Language Program) at St. Thomas University (2021). She is one of the instructional resource developers and language course facilitators for her community. She is continuing her studies in the Wabanaki Visual Arts program at the New Brunswick College of Crafts and Design.
Louis-Xavier Aubin-Bérubé
Educational Resource Developer
Louis-Xavier Aubin-Bérubé is Wolastoqewi from Wahsipekuk (Que.) and Québécois. He is a graduate of the Wetapeksultiyoq (Maliseet Language Program) at St. Thomas University. He is one of the designers and facilitators of Wolastoqey courses and educational resources for the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nations (2021 – 2022) and is part of the team that established an early childhood immersion school (Kehkimin Wolastoqey Language Immersion School) in the Fredericton (N.B.) area.
The role of the Indigenous Advisory Committee is to ensure reciprocity between the members of the SQOTESOL research group and the Wolastoqe community.
More specifically, its mandate consists of 1) giving advice, formulating opinions or making recommendations on the activities and research-action projects carried out within the framework of SQOTESOL so that they meet the actual needs of the community, and 2) ensuring that action research is done from an Indigenous perspective.
The committee is made up of members of the Wolastoqiyik First Nations, establishing the link with the partner communities.
The Indigenous Advisory Committee receives an annual report on all of SQOTESOL’s activities as well as progress reports for each of the ongoing projects. It can also summon the SQOTESOL research team if it deems it relevant.
Members
Edith Bélanger, Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation (Que.)
Shawn Francis, Madawaska Maliseet First Nation (N.B.)
Caroline Pigeon, Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation (Que.)
Research Assistants
Zoé Rioux | 2024
Zoé Rioux is an Acadian student in the multidisciplinary program (sociology, psychology, and English) at the Université de Moncton, Edmundston campus. She is interested in understanding the motivations behind social actions and reactions.
Julie Dubé | 2024
Julie Dubé holds a bachelor’s degree in individualized studies from the Université de Moncton, Edmundston campus. She has a particular interest in the sociology of Acadian and Canadian Indigenous communities. Originally from Edmundston, she became aware of the challenges faced by the neighboring Indigenous community. Her involvement in this project stems from her desire to help preserve the Wolastoqey language.
Jasmine LeBlanc | 2023-2024
Jasmine LeBlanc is originally from southeastern New Brunswick. She is pursuing studies in French studies with a concentration in linguistics and a minor in psychology at the Université de Moncton, Moncton campus. Her goal is to obtain a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
Faith Wright | 2023-2024
Faith Wright is a Francophile studying linguistics and sociology at the Université de Moncton, Moncton campus. She is particularly interested in history, phonetics, and language revitalization initiatives.
Félix Couturier | 2023
Félix Couturier is of Innu origin, from the Mashteuiatsh region (Pointe-Bleue) in Quebec. After graduating from High School in Edmundston, he attended N.B. Community College and worked as an electrician. He is currently an undergraduate student at the Université de Moncton’s Moncton campus, where he interests himself in history, literature, and music.
Marie-Pier Fortin | 2023
Marie-Pier Fortin is Acadian and pursuing a degree in Forestry Engineering at the Université de Moncton, campus d’Edmundston. With a diverse range of interests, she aims to enhance her understanding of minority communities in order to gain deeper insights into contemporary societal challenges.Tiffany Dunphy | 2022
Tiffany Dunphy is a member of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation (Edmundston, N.B.) and a student in health sciences at the University of Ottawa. From a young age, she has had a strong interest in learning new languages. She speaks French and English fluently and is learning Wolastoqey, which she hopes to one day be able to add to her list of fluent languages.
cartoonist:
Julien Massicotte
