Languages Without Borders 2025

Deputy Minister, Indigenous Services, Government of Canada

Gina Wilson

Gina Wilson is a grandmother, a proud Algonquin, and the Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services, as well as the Champion for Indigenous public servants.

Gina began her career in her First Nation community of Kitigan-Zibi as Director of Health and Social Services. She was also Child Welfare Advisor, Director of Health & Social Services and Chief Executive Officer when she was with the Assembly of First Nations. She joined the federal government in 1996 and held several senior executive positions at various departments, including the Privy Council Office, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and Correctional Service of Canada. One of her career highlights was as Assistant Deputy Minister of Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada, where she oversaw the implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and the Prime Minister’s apology to Survivors of residential schools in 2010. She then became Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Regional Operations at the then Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) until moving to Public Safety Canada as ADM of Emergency Management. Gina was Assistant Deputy Minister of Treaties and Aboriginal Government at INAC before joining the deputy ranks in 2014 as Associate DM at ESDC, Associate DM at Public Safety and Deputy Minister of Women and Gender Equality in 2017. She was appointed Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada in 2019. Gina held the role of Deputy Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth at Canadian Heritage, then rejoined Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) as Deputy Minister on September 1, 2021. She previously served at WAGE from 2017 to 2019, where she led the establishment of the new department.

Gina is the recipient of the 2020 Indspire Award for her leadership and lifelong work on Indigenous issues and support for Indigenous employees. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa.

Host, Columnist, and Comedian

Xavier Watso

Xavier Watso, Abenaki from Odanak, shared his passion for theatre for over 15 years as a high school drama teacher. He is also a well-known content creator on TikTok, with over 53,000 subscribers. Over time, Xavier has also carved out a place in traditional media as a regular columnist for the Journal Métro de Montréal and Curium magazine. He is also a familiar face on Radio-Canada and Télé-Québec, appearing in programs such as La journée (est encore jeune), On va se le dire, Bonsoir bonsoir!, Il restera toujours la culture, Kuei! Kwe!, Le safari de Joanie, Bien joué!, and Bye Bye 2023. In 2024-2025, he is criss-crossing the country for the second season of the Savoirs légendaires youth series. Xavier also plays an important role in the preservation of Indigenous cultures as Master of Ceremonies at the Odanak and Wolinak pow-wows and as host of the Présence Autochtone festival. Xavier is also a comedian, having appeared in Drew Hayden Taylor’s play alterNATIVES at the Centaur in Montreal in 2023, as well as in several other major cities across Canada.

Independent Educational Consultant and Former Executive Director of CAVILAM - Alliance française

Michel Boiron

Michel Boiron is a renowned expert in teaching French as a foreign language (FLE). He received a Master of Arts from the Free University of Berlin in 1982. His career spans several decades, culminating in his role as Executive Director of CAVILAM – Alliance française de Vichy between 1997 and 2022. Michel is known for his expertise in designing innovative training programs and creating educational materials. He helped design and carry out numerous educational projects with organizations such as TV5MONDE, the French Institute and the International Organization of La Francophonie. Her areas of expertise include motivational strategies for learning, the use of cultural materials in the classroom, and the integration of new technologies into teaching. In recognition of his contributions, Boiron was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2010 and a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2019. Since 2023, he has continued his work as an independent educational consultant.

Teacher-Librarian & Course Director/Practicum Facilitator

Karen Devonish-Mazzotta

Karen Devonish-Mazzotta has been teaching FSL for 26 years with the Toronto District School Board. She has an M.A. in Second Language Learning from the University of Toronto. As a reviewer for the Ontario Ministry of Education, Karen has conducted Equity and Bias checks for several curriculum documents in both English and French. In addition, Karen has an active schedule as an Additional Qualifications instructor for various providers in Ontario. Presently Karen is a Teacher-Librarian with the Toronto District School Board and serves as a Course Director/Practicum Facilitator with York University’s Faculty of Education FSL Teacher Candidate cohort.

French Immersion Teacher

Rubina Sharma

Ruby Sharma has nearly two decades of experience as a French teacher, department leader, school leader, and system leader in both Core and Immersion FSL programs in York Region District School Board. She is also a course instructor and developer for FSL Additional Qualification (AQ) courses. Ruby embarked on her journey with the FSL Disrupt team through their shared Twitter Professional Learning Network. She was immediately captivated by the dynamic and open dialogue led by Mandy, Mimi, and Amanda, focusing on diversifying texts in French as a Second Language (FSL). Their effective use of technology and social media to drive tangible change across education boards and districts highlighted their collaborative spirit. This motivated Ruby to join their mission to help diversify the texts used in FSL classes. Ruby believes that fostering inclusive and diverse FSL learning spaces, from an anti-oppressive and anti-racist perspective, should be the shared objective of all FSL educators.

Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal

Michael Zuniga

Michael Zuniga has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM, 2015) and is also a professor in the Department of Language Instruction at UQAM. His research focuses on the interactions between cognition, emotions, and language learning. He has presented at more than 40 conferences in North America and Europe and has published more than 25 articles, including some in renowned journals such as The Modern Language Journal and System. With a passion for language learning, Michael learned French, German, and Dutch as an adult and has 15 years of experience as a “non-native” teacher of French as a second language.

Consultant; Former Director of Curriculum and Resource Support, Edmonton Public Schools

Janice Aubry

Janice cherishes her 34-year career as a leader at the division level, spanning roles from teacher to consultant, supervisor, and director. Her passion project was designing and directing the Institute for Innovation in Second Language Education. She also served as Manager and Team Leader for Languages at Alberta Education, and as an instructor at the University of Alberta. Janice played pivotal leadership roles in curriculum and policy development across local, provincial, national, and international levels. Janice also served on CASLT’s National Council, CASLT’s Board of Directors, and other boards and councils dedicated to advancing language education. Janice continues to consult, advise, and develop resources.

Vice Principal, Viamonde School Board; FSL Instructor, Brock University; PhD Candidate, York University

Eric Keunne

Eric Keunne is a distinguished educator and consultant with over 19 years of experience in FSL teaching, educational leadership, and community involvement. Eric holds an M.A. in French studies and an M.Ed. As Vice Principal at Viamonde School Board and FSL instructor at Brock University Faculty of Education, he excels in curriculum development and inclusive teaching practices. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Francophone Studies at York University’s Department of French where he also served as a Course Director. His research focuses on culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy (CRRP), teacher education, equity and inclusion, anti-oppression and anti-racist pedagogy, bilingualism, and language policy. Eric has presented at many conferences, authored a book on bilingualism, and regularly contributes to French media such as Radio-Canada, Ici Ontario, and CHOQ FM. Deeply involved in the Francophone community in Ontario, Eric advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion in education through his leadership and research efforts.

Assistant Director of Educational Services, Lester B. Pearson School Board

Nathia Messina

Nathia Messina graduated from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) in 1994 where she studied teaching French as a second language. In 2014 she completed two certificates in leadership at McGill University. Nathia was a classroom teacher from 1995–2009, Vice Principal at Beaconsfield High School from 2009–2011, principal at St. Edmund Elementary School from 2011–2014, and principal at Westpark Elementary School from 2014–2020. In 2020, Nathia became the Assistant Director of the Educational Services Department. Although she misses the everyday interaction with students, teachers, and parents, she appreciates her role in shaping some of the incredible initiatives from different schools.

Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

Meike Wernicke

Meike Wernicke is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. Her research with French language teachers in minority language settings engages critical questions on teacher professional learning and teacher identity. She also researches language-in-education policies related to language use, instructional practice, and discursive processes that inform raciolinguistic ideologies and exclusion in educational settings. Her current research projects focus on multilingualism and anticolonial approaches to centre local Indigenous language reclamation and critical intercultural pedagogies in second language teacher education.