OTTAWA, June 26, 2008 - The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages and Minister for La Francophonie, today announced the appointment of Luc LaRochelle as a member of the Canada Council for the Arts.
"Mr. LaRochelle's vast legal expertise together with his extensive knowledge of literature and visual art make him the ideal candidate for this position," said Minister Verner.
Mr. LaRochelle is a counsel with the law firm of Borden Ladner Gervais, and serves on the board of directors of the Dessau engineering group. He has been an extensive collector of the visual arts for several years and owns numerous works by Quebec, Canadian, and international artists. He is a former board member of Vie des Arts and the Association des collections d'entreprises du Québec. He has written several books and given frequent lectures and workshops on law, visual art and literature. A graduate of the Université de Sherbrooke Law School, Mr. LaRochelle was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1971. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts, an M.B.A., and an M.A. in Literary Studies.
The Canada Council for the Arts fosters and promotes the study, enjoyment, and production of works in the arts by providing assistance to individual artists and arts organizations through a peer-assessment process. It also administers the Public Lending Right program of payments to authors, coordinates the development of UNESCO activities in Canada, and coordinates Canadian participation in UNESCO activities abroad. For more information on the Council, please visit www.canadacouncil.ca.
Information:
Dominic Gosselin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage,
Status of Women and Official Languages
and Minister for La Francophonie
819 997-7788
