Breanne Lavallée-Heckert is the new executive director of Festival du Voyageur. (UWINNIPEG.CA)
WINNIPEG — Festival du Voyageur has appointed Breanne Lavallée-Heckert as the organization’s new executive director.
Lavallée-Heckert takes over from Darrel Nadeau, who led Festival for six years before stepping down in March for another opportunity.
“Festival du Voyageur’s mythology is that its genesis is linked to a Métis Ballsy Bastard who would have turned 100 years old in 2024. It’s only natural, then, that we feel comfortable in the capable hands of a new generation of Métis Brave Beauties to guide us into the present and into a future that allows for the full cultural emancipation of our community,” said Eric Plamondon, president of Festival du Voyageur, in a statement.
Lavallée-Heckert divided her time between Ottawa and Montreal, where she served the Senate of Canada and its members, while receiving an education in law from McGill University. She also worked in the Official Languages Branch of the Department of Justice in Ottawa, focusing on issues relating to the rights of linguistic minorities in Canada, including Francophone communities and Indigenous languages.
Lavallée-Heckert will begin her new role on July 4.
The 55th annual edition of Festival du Voyageur is February 16-25, 2024.
