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Audio
If you would like to hear audio segments from the Word of
The Week, visit our Word of the
Week section.
You can now also download the C'est la vie podcast as well as the Word of the Week podcast.
Listen to a special two part broadcast from June 11th, 2004.
Host Bernard St-Laurent spoke with Booker Prize winning author Yann Martel, and his parents, Nicole Perron-Martel and Émile Martel. Nicole and Émile translated Life of Pi into French.
 Listen to Part One of June 11th, 2004
Listen to Part Two of June 11th, 2004
INTERVIEWS AND DOCUMENTARIES
C'est la vie, April 29, 2007
Forty years after Expo 67, learn how the Montreal World's Fair touched and changed the lives of Quebec francophones.
Monique Simard and André Arthur
Gilles Gougeon
Stéphane Venne
C'est la vie, April 22, 2007
This week meet Hubert Reeves. He is an respected astrophysicist, a populariser of science, and an environmentalist. You could say he is the David Suzuki of French Canada. He has also been described as the poet of astrophysics. Discover why in this interview with Bernard St-Laurent.
Hubert Reeves
C'est la vie, April 15, 2007
This week meet one of the most creative and influential people in Quebec show business.
Stéphane Laporte is a comedy writer, a director and has created numerous successful TV shows.
He also writes all of the material impersonator André-Philippe Gagnon uses both in French and English.
You may be one of the millions of people who saw Gagnon on the Johnny Carson show several years ago.
His rendition of "We are the World" using several of his most famous voices launched his international career.
That performance was the brain child of Stéphane Laporte.
He also adapted the concept of "Star Academie" for Quebec. It one of the biggest success stories of Quebec TV.
And he also played a role in adapting "Deal or No Deal" for Quebec television. It became "Le Banquier".
You may also have laughed at his jokes while watching some of the Bye Byes, Radio Canada's satirical year end reviews.
And as if that's not enough, Stéphane Laporte also writes a weekly column for the French language newspaper, La Presse.
Stéphane Laporte
C'est la vie, April 1, 2007
Hear the story of a man who is changing the lives of young African immigrants.
Jean-Marc Gilbert did not set out to change the world. He had taken his retirement in rural Alberta, after teaching in Quebec for 30 years.
But fate put him in the right place at the right time.
Hear how he became principal of a small French school in Brooks, Alberta.
And how it has been a lesson to him, as well as a godsend for the students.
Jean-Marc Gilbert
C'est la vie, March 25, 2007
For eight generations the Blair family has been a part of quebec. They came as English speaking protestants in a French speaking catholic colony. Back then their language and religion distinguished and divided them from the francophone majority. Now, nearly 240 years later, the Blairs of the newest generation are bilingual and bicultural. Lynne Robson tells us the story of the Blairs - their past, present, and future...
The Blair family
C'est la vie, March 16, 2007
Meetup.com is a website which unites people with similar interests, then gets them meeting face to face in their communities.
It's helping Canadians practise their French, from coast to coast.
Find out about two of these meet ups, one in Toronto, and one in Calgary.
On s'était dit rendez-vous tous les mois - Toronto French Meet up
Calgary French Rendez-vous
C'est la vie, March 9, 2007
Bernard St-Laurent interviews Christiane Charette about Radio-Canada's version of Canada Reads, called le Combat des livres.
Christiane Charette
Bernard talks with Radio-Canada's linguistic advisor, Guy Bertrand, about Radio-Canada's contest, Par chez nous on dit...
Guy Bertrand
C'est la vie, March 2, 2007
Meet one of Quebec's best selling authors. Diane Lacombe has had a huge success with her trilogy, which set in medieval Scotland. Yet she didn't start her literary career until she was 48 years old. Find out why Diane Lacombe started writing, and why she chose Scotland!
Diane Lacombe
Diane Lacombe took a group of readers on a tour of Scotland. They visited the highlands, the fishing town of Mallaig and other sites from her novels.
Hear from some of her readers, including one of her biggest fans, her sister Claire.
Mallaig trilogy readers
C'est la vie, February 16, 2007
Meet a man who is breaking down the barriers between old and new Quebeckers.
Boucar Diouf is originally from Senegal. But he moved to Rimouski on Quebec's lower St-Lawrence to study oceanography.
Now he's a comedian. And he uses his humour to build understanding between cultures.
Boucar Diouf
C'est la vie, February 9, 2007
Last week C'est la vie looked at the link between Quebec's catholic past, and the current debate over "reasonable accommodation". That's the debate over how to accommodate the needs of different religious and cultural groups in the province.
This week, we look at a potential solution - a new way of teaching religion in Quebec schools, starting September 2008. We speak to the man who recommended the changes, Jean-Pierre Proulx.
Jean-Pierre Proulx.
C'est la vie, February 2, 2007
This week C'est la vie explores the link between Quebec's Catholic past, and the current debate over how to accommodate the needs of different religious and cultural groups in the province. In the first part of the program, we discuss the province's move to a secular society, a move that is still going on today.
The prayer debate in city council meetings
In the second part of the program La Presse columnist Yves Boisvert explores some of the historical reasons for the current debate over "reasonable
accommodation".
Yves Boisvert
C'est la vie, January 26, 2007
Mario Bilodeau is the co-founder of Fondation Sur la pointe des pieds/On the Tip of the Toes Foundation, which provides wilderness therapy for teenagers living with cancer. Hear an interview with him.
Mario Bilodeau
C'est la vie, January 19, 2007
The successful TV game show, "Deal or No Deal" has now been adapted for French Canadian audiences. It's called "Le Banquier". C'est la vie's Associate Producer, Elizabeth Robertson, tells us about it.
Le Banquier
Another program that has been adapted for French Canadian viewers is "The Office". "The Office" was a British series of what happens when an office, a paper supplier, might be downsized. The central character is an incompetent lower middle-manager, who wants his staff to love him. He thinks very highly of his own managerial skills and sense of humour. But his employees don't share that opinion. The series has already been remade for the United States and France.
Anne-Marie Losique is the producer of the new Quebec version. It's called "La Job". C'est la vie reached her at her Office, in Old Montreal.
La Job
C'est la vie, January 12, 2007
Listen to Meredith Dellandrea's update on the Chinese students studying in Rouyn-Noranda, in northwestern Quebec.
Chinese students in Rouyn-Noranda - Part 2
Listen to Meredith Dellandrea's original documentary from October 2006, about the Chinese students starting university in Rouyn-Noranda.
Chinese students in Rouyn-Noranda - Part 1
Listen to an interview with olympic athlete Jennifer Heil, after she was named female athlete of the year at an international level by Sports-Québec.
Jennifer Heil
C'est la vie, January 5, 2007
Interview with Samuel Vaillancourt, a medical student at McGill University.
Samuel Vaillancourt
C'est la vie, December 22, 2006
Interview with Judy Servay and Philippe Fehmiu. They opened up a restaurant in Montreal called "Robin des bois", which runs with the help of volunteers, and aims to give its profits to charity.
Robin des bois
C'est la vie, December 15, 2006
French-Canadian children's books suggestions by Nathalie Lampron, program coordinator of Communication-Jeunesse.(see Resources page for the book titles)
Children's books
C'est la vie, December 8, 2006
Discussion about a popular Quebec website called "Têtes à claques".
Têtes à claques
Interview with Dano Leblanc, the creator and voice of Acadieman.
Acadieman is the first Acadian superhero. He's a cartoon character on Rogers TV in New Brunswick and Ottawa.
He wears a flying helmet, and a t-shirt with an Acadian flag on it.
And Acadieman speaks Chiac. That's the distinct blend of old French and English which is spoken around Moncton and Shediac.
Now Acadieman is helping young Acadians develop a new appreciation for their language.
Acadieman
C'est la vie, November 24, 2006
Interview with Marie Eykel, who played the character of Passe-Partout, in the popular children's TV show Passe-Partout.
Marie Eykel
C'est la vie, November 17, 2006
Interview with former National Hockey League star Joé Juneau, about his new role as an environmental activist.
Joé Juneau
Interview with Jacques Languirand, host of "Par 4 chemins" on Radio-Canada. He has just been awarded a Governor General's award for lifetime artistic achievement.
Jacques Languirand
C'est la vie, November 10, 2006
Documentary about Acadians leaving Clare, NS, for jobs in Alberta.
Acadians leaving Clare - Part I
Acadians leaving Clare - Part II
C'est la vie, November 3, 2006
Listen to Bernard St-Laurent's interview with Dominique Michel.
C'est la vie, November 3, 2006
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C'est la vie, October 20, 2006
Hear an interview with author Jean Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow about their book, The Story of French.
C'est la vie, October 20, 2006
C'est la vie, October 6, 2006
Hear a review of the Université de Montréal's linguistic cruises up the St-Lawrence River.
C'est la vie, October 6, 2006
C'est la vie, September 22, 2006
Learn about the debate sparked in Quebec by Jan Wong's article following the Dawson shootings.
C'est la vie, September 22, 2006
C'est la vie, September 15, 2006
This week C'est la vie looks into the burgeoning Haitian film industry in Montreal. And meet one of the biggest stars of Haitian cinema, Fabienne Colas. She now lives and works in Montreal.
C'est la vie, September 15, 2006
Teach Yourself French
Some C'est la vie listeners volunteered to try to teach themselves French over the summer of 2006, using courses provided by C'est la vie and Chapters/Indigo.
Hear how they fared:
Jane and Robert Lutes. They used "French With Michel Thomas"
Rachel Williams and family. They used "Complete French The Basics"
Leslie McRae. She used "Complete French The Basics"
Jodie McKague's first diary entry. She used "Teach Yourself French Complete Course"
Jodie McKague's second diary entry.
Jodie McKague's third diary entry.
Jodie McKague's fourth diary entry.
Jodie McKague's fifth diary entry.
Jodie McKague's sixth and final diary entry.
Andrée Ruffo
Andrée Ruffo was one of Quebec's most controversial youth-court judges.
She won friends for her outspoken comments on children's rights.
But she has also made a lot of enemies.
Quebec's Judicial Council ruled her behaviour undermined the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.
Andrée Ruffo resigned last month. But she still speaks passionately about the rights of children.
Interview broadcast June 16, 2006.
Andrée Ruffo
Smoking in Quebec
Quebec used to be considered the smoking section of Canada. But the province can no longer lay claim to the dubious title with its new new anti-smoking law which came into effect on May 31st. It banned smoking in restaurants, bars and most public places. Many of the influential people in Quebec society have quit smoking. We hear from two of them. Program broadcast June 2, 2006.
Bernard Landry
Nathalie Petrowski
Swearing in French Canada
For generations French Canadians have taken the words used in the celebration of holy communion and used them as curses. For example, the French words for the host, the ciborium and the tabernacle are the most shocking and offensive words you can hear in Canadian French - hostie, ciboire and tabernacle. Hear how the Catholic Church in Montreal is trying to reclaim the real sense of these words. And also how these words first started to be used as curses.
Program broadcast May 26, 2006.
Swearing in French Canada
Cristobal Huet
Cristobal Huet is the Montreal Canadians' number 1 goalie. And he is from Grenoble, France. Elias Abboud visited Huet's hometown, to find out how a Frenchman ended up playing hockey in the NHL. Documentary broadcast May 5, 2006.
Cristobal Huet documentary
Lise Bissonnette
Lise Bissonnette is the former publisher of Le Devoir newspaper. She is now the President and Director General of the Grande Bibliothèque - Quebec's new central library, based in Montreal. The library opened a year ago, and now attracts up to 13,000 people a day. Interview broadcast April 28th, 2006.
Lise Bissonnette
Michel Tremblay
Interview with author and playwright Michel Tremblay at the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival in Montreal, April 2006.
Part 1 Broadcast 14/04/2006
Part 2 Broadcast 21/04/2006
Michel Tremblay Part 1
Michel Tremblay Part 2
French Immersion's 40th anniversary
The first French immersion class in Canada was created in St-Lambert, on Montreal's south shore in the fall of 1965.
Three mothers fought to have the program at Margaret Pendlebury Elementary School, on Green Ave in St-Lambert.
Murielle Parkes and Olga Melikoff are two of the three mothers who fought for the program. The third mother, Valerie Neale, has since passed away.
On Wednesday evening Murielle and Olga were honored at Heritage Regional Highschool on Montreal's south shore.
C'est la vie's Tanya Birkbeck was there. Broadcast 24/03/2006
French Immersion's 40th anniversary
Graham Fraser is a highly respected journalist and author.
He also talks about that first French immersion program in his new book.
It's called "Sorry I don't speak French - Confronting the Canadian crisis that won't go away".
It's an examination on how well and how poorly Canada's language policy is doing.
One of the good news stories is French immersion programs.
Bernard St-Laurent asked Graham Fraser what his own personal experience had been with immersion programs. Broadcast 24/03/2006
Graham Fraser
C'est la vie in Louisiana, 2006
C'est la vie visited Louisiana in February 2006, to cover a number of stories related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the survival of the French language in Louisiana. We have links here to the audio of a selection of those stories.
Warren Perrin is the Lafayette lawyer who won an apology to the Acadians from the Queen, He took us into the areas affected by Hurricane Rita. Broadcast 24/02/2006
Warren Perrin documentary Part 1.
Warren Perrin documentary Part 2.
To save Louisiana French, the state legislature created CODOFIL - the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana.
It has helped set up French immersion programs.
David Cheramie is the executive director of CODOFIL.
We spoke with him at Codofil's offices in the historic section of Lafayette.
They're in an old red brick building that housed Lafayette's first bank and first town hall. Broadcast 10/03/06
David Cheramie interview.
Codofil set up French immersion programs in order to promote French in Louisiana.
But what type of French are the kids learning? And what does that mean for the future of the Cajun language and culture?
As David Cheramie mentioned, Prairie Elementary has one of the biggest French immersion programs in the US.
The school is in a residential part of Lafayette. We visited it. Broadcast 10/03/06
Prairie Elementary school.
Meet three generations of a Cajun family which lives in Lafayette.
Their life stories reflect what's happening in many Cajun families.
The grandparents are Doris and Wallace Broussard. They are in their late 70s, early 80s. They grew up speaking Cajun French, and were punished for doing so.
They decided to speak to their kids only in English.
One of their sons is Kim Broussard. He and his wife Cheryl are baby boomers.
Both of them are teachers. And neither of them speak French.
Kim and Cheryl have three kids. Tristin is 18, and in university.
Brody is 14. And Jency is 10. She's in her last year of elementary school. The three kids all speak French. They went through French immersion at Prairie Elementary school, in Lafayette.
About 3000 kids attend French immersion programs in Louisiana from Kindergarten to Grade 8.
We wanted to talk to the Broussards about their story, and their relationship to the French language. So we sat down with them around the kitchen table at Kim and Cheryl Broussard's home. It is a two storey brick house, in a comfortable residential area of Lafayette.
Here is that conversation, broadcast 17/03/06.
The Broussard family.
OTHER INTERVIEWS
Interview with Diane Gousse, about French language learning cruises on the St-Lawrence River, 17/02/06
Interview with Radio-Canada Scientist of the Year, Jean-Marie de Koninck, 03/02/06
Documentary about young author, Alexandra Larochelle, 06/01/06
Interview with forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs, 09/12/05
Clip of Kathy Reichs in French
Interview with Yvon Deschamps and Judi Richards, 18/11/05
Interview with Jacques Demers, 11/11/05
Interview with Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, 10/06/05
Interview with the late Gérald Leblanc, from archives
Interview with Chantal Petitclerc, 27/05/05
Program about accents in French, 14/01/00
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