The Honourable Louise Imbeault, OC, ONB, was installed as New Brunswick’s 33rd Lieutenant Governor in January 2025.
A respected journalist, activist, and community leader, Ms. Imbeault has been an ardent women’s rights advocate and a lifelong champion of the Acadian community. As Lieutenant Governor, she has identified a few key areas of focus for her time in office, notably the recognition of the Acadian People; the importance of bilingualism and official languages; gender equality; access to truthful, verified, and accurate information; the integration of the arts in all aspects of society; interactions between various cultural communities; and our relations with First Nations.
Born in Moncton to a francophone family, Ms. Imbeault grew up in a bilingual setting. She learned to speak English while playing with anglophone friends in her neighbourhood. However, at the time, the francophone community did not always have access to the same services as the anglophone community. For example, Ms. Imbeault’s parents, along with Acadian families, successfully lobbied for the creation of a French high school in Moncton. These formative experiences influenced Ms. Imbeault’s profound convictions regarding the importance of cultural exchange and community building.
Ms. Imbeault holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy and a Bachelor of Education, both from the Université de Moncton. She completed master’s studies in philosophy and studied journalism in France.
Ms. Imbeault began working in journalism in 1969 as a reporter for former Moncton-based newspaper L’Évangéline. In 1974, she joined Radio-Canada, where she built a distinguished career over more than 30 years, as host, reporter, news director, and as the first woman news editor in the Atlantic region. In 1996, she became the director of Radio-Canada Atlantique, which was renamed Radio-Canada Acadie under her leadership, reflecting a commitment to promoting Acadian culture through expanded regional programming and original content. She retired from Radio-Canada in 2011. She served as Chancellor of the Université de Moncton from 2018 to 2024.
Throughout her life, Ms. Imbeault has been a tireless advocate for women’s rights, Acadian culture, the arts, and Indigenous Peoples. In 1984 and 1986, she participated in the Women’s Rights Commission at the UNESCO General Conference, in Paris, on behalf of the Government of Canada. She was part of the Voices of New Brunswick Women working group, which created the New Brunswick Women’s Council. More recently, Ms. Imbeault was Advisor, Vice-President, then interim President of the Regroupement féministe du Nouveau-Brunswick. She was elected President of the Société Nationale de l’Acadie in 2017 and is a member of the Association des boursiers et boursières France-Acadie. Active in her community, she has also served as Co-Chair of the Moncton Cultural Board and Vice-President and interim President of the Board of Directors of the New Brunswick Museum. Since 2012, she has been the owner-editor of Bouton d’Or Acadie, a publishing house that supports the creation of literary works, promotes Acadian culture, and publishes books in Indigenous languages to shine a light on Indigenous stories.
In recognition of her contributions, Ms. Imbeault has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Order of Moncton, the Order of New Brunswick, and the Order of Canada, to which she was appointed as Officer in 2023. She was named Officier de l’Ordre national du Mérite of France in 2022. She was recognized with Radio-Canada’s President’s Award in 1984 for her role in the representation of women in Radio-Canada and CBC programming and in 2009 for the coverage of the Congrès mondial acadien by the Radio-Canada Acadie teams. In 2010, the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick awarded her the Prix Albert-Sormany to celebrate her invaluable contributions to Acadia. She was one of the 2023 VIVE Award recipients for her commitment to the advancement of gender equality.
Ms. Imbeault is the mother of four socially engaged adult children who have all made New Brunswick their home. She truly enjoys being a grandmother to her six delightful grandchildren. She lived in Moncton almost her entire life, but now resides at Government House, in Fredericton.