Montréal, November 7, 2017 – Francine Lelièvre, Executive Director of Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, has received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal for her career achievments and her exceptional contribution to the preservation and enhancement of Québec heritage. She received this honour from Université de Montréal Rector Guy Breton at the convocation ceremony for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on November 4, 2017.

Francine Lelièvre took the opportunity to congratulate the new graduates at this important ceremony. “You are beginning a life that will put you at the heart of great debates and societal decisions. It will be up to you to create this life, with your values, your desires, and your ambition. So I say to you: have confidence in yourselves. Don’t fear culture shock or different ideas, learn from your successes, and perhaps even more so from your failures.”

With a degree in history and a Bachelor’s of education from the Université de Montréal, Francine Lelièvre founded Pointe-à-Callière and has been its director since it opened in 1992. Francine Lelièvre first made a name for herself at Parks Canada, where she was in charge of the development and interpretation of some thirty historic sites and national parks. She then joined the founding team at the Musée de la civilisation in Québec City. In the early 1990s, she founded and ran Processus Inc., a company specializing in museology, where she was involved in the birth of some twenty museum institutions, including Pointe-à-Callière.

Renowned for the high quality and effectiveness of her project management, and for her administration of cultural facilities, Francine Lelièvre has many areas of expertise—from the implementation of large-scale research projects in archaeology, among other fields, to the in situ preservation of major Québec and Canadian heritage sites, as well as the production of wide-ranging exhibitions noted for their innovation and their use of technology as applied to museography.

Francine Lelièvre initiated the creation of Pointe-à-Callière’s Archaeological Field School, through a partnership with the Université de Montréal, in order to further develop our knowledge of Montréal’s historical and urban archaeology. Work carried out by the Field School from 2002 to 2014 led to the discovery of the remains of Fort Ville-Marie, the birthplace of Montréal.

Innovative achievements to help preserve Québec’s heritage
Throughout her career, Francine Lelièvre has made use of new technology to better showcase and raise visitor awareness of historical and archaeological content as a way of relaying the past using cutting-edge means of communication. At Pointe-à-Callière, she led research efforts that resulted in the development and implementation of innovative conservation methods, preserving the remains of Montréal’s birthplace, Fort Ville-Marie (1642-1670) and the city’s first collector sewer (1832), which opened to the public on May 17, 2017; and the remains of Montréal’s first Catholic cemetery (1643-1654), showcased in the Museum’s main building since 1992. Pointe-à-Callière welcomes some 450,000 visitors every year.

A new distinction: a testament to her exceptional contribution
This honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal is yet another acknowledgment of the importance of Francine Lelièvre’s body of work in the Québec heritage sector, and is one of several other distinctions she has received. She was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2014, a Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite de France in 2008, and a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec in 2002. She has also received a number of other awards and acknowledgements including: membership in the Club des entrepreneurs du Conseil du patronat du Québec in 2017; the 2015 Cultural Manager Award from the Carmelle and Rémi-Marcoux Arts Management Chair at HEC Montréal; the 2014 Women of Distinction Award, in the Arts and Culture category, from the Montréal Women’s Y; the Canadian Museums Association’s Award of Distinguished Service in 2013; the 2013 Career Award from the Société des musées québécois; the Grand Ulysse Award from Tourisme Montréal for her exemplary contribution to promoting tourism in Montréal; and the Lieutenant Governor’s Award in 2012.

About Pointe-à-Callière
Rising above the birthplace of Montréal, Pointe-à-Callière is the city’s largest history museum. It is a complex comprised of a series of historic and archaeological sites of national significance that showcase major periods in the history of Montréal, from 1350 to the present day. The only large-scale archaeology museum in Québec and in all of Canada, Pointe-à-Callière opened in 1992 on the occasion of Montréal’s 350^th birthday. The Museum’s mission is to raise awareness and foster an appreciation of the history of Quebec’s largest city, and to forge bonds with regional, national, and international networks concerned with archaeology, history, and urban issues. Its mandate consists of preserving and increasing access to Montréal’s heritage, which led to its creation of the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, a world-class cultural and tourism complex that will showcase some ten historic and heritage sites in Old Montréal.

Pointe-à-Callière is subsidized by the City of Montréal.

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Media: Marylène Kirouac
Communications Coordinator
[email protected]
T. 514 872-2687

Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex
350 Place Royale Old Montréal (Québec)
H2Y 3Y5