Alexandra Szacka was born into a family of scholars who survived the Holocaust. When Alexandra was 15, she and her family were forced to flee their native Poland to find refuge in France. Shortly afterwards, they left that country to settle in Canada, specifically in Quebec.
She began her post-secondary education in the pure science program at the Cégep de Trois-Rivières, before going on to study biochemistry, and then anthropology, at Laval University, where she earned a master’s degree.
After working for the Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture, a cultural research centre, she co-wrote a book about Jews and Jewish culture in Quebec entitled Juifs et réalités juives au Québec and began a new career in journalism.
First she worked as a journalist and co-anchor for two programs: Arrimage and Nord-Sud, both broadcast by Radio-Québec (now Télé-Québec). Next, she was hired by Radio-Canada, where she joined the teams of Enjeux and then Zone libre, two weekly programs, before working on the Téléjournal, Radio-Canada’s flagship daily 10 p.m. newscast.
From 2007 to 2014, she worked for Radio-Canada and CBC radio and television as their correspondent in Moscow, where she also served as bureau chief, as well as in Paris, where she covered all of Europe.
Over the course of her career, Alexandra Szacka has reported for both Télé-Québec and Radio-Canada from some 50 countries. From China to Mexico, from Timor-Leste to Iran, from Chile to Tunisia, she has spanned the globe to keep Canadians informed.
She has won several prestigious awards, including two Prix Judith-Jasmin for journalism.
Alexandra Szacka has two children, Thomas and Léa-Catherine.
She is still active in journalism today, and regularly hosts radio features on Radio-Canada. She is often invited to radio and television programs, mainly on Radio-Canada and Noovo, to comment on the areas of the world she knows best, namely Russia, Eastern Europe and the rest of the European continent.
In 2023, Éditions du Boréale published her autobiography, entitled Je ferai le tour du monde, which became a best-seller.