The passing of Senator Josée Forest-Niesing in November 2021 was a great loss to our community. A proud Franco-Ontarian, Senator Forest-Niesing was known as a passionate advocate for the rights and concerns of French-speaking Canadians. While she had a long and distinguished career practicing law in her hometown of Sudbury and in the Senate and held several notable appointments including President of L’Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO), her journey began right here at the University of Ottawa where she completed the Programme de common law en français (PCLF) in 1988, and was inducted into the Common Law Honour Society in 2013.
A new scholarship has been established in honour of this tremendous ambassador for the Franco-Ontarian community. The Senator Josée Forest-Niesing Entrance Scholarship will provide valuable financial assistance to students from Northern Ontario entering the first year of the PCLF program. The scholarship has already received a generous lead donation from Desjardins Ontario Credit Union, which will match all donations made to this fund by April 30, 2022, up to a maximum of $25,000.
As the only law school in Ontario to offer a Common Law degree in French — and one of only a few in Canada — the University of Ottawa is uniquely aligned with the values that Senator Forest-Niesing stood for: to promote bilingualism within the legal system and ensure access to French-language legal services outside of Quebec. The objective of this scholarship is to inspire and empower more students from Northern Ontario – members of Senator Forest-Niesing’s community – to pursue their law degree in French, by reducing their financial burden.