Coppieters Awards Ceremony to Recognise Pauline Marois

On the 18th September 2025, Coppieters Foundation will honor Mrs Pauline Marois as the 2025 recipient of the Coppieters Awards at an official award ceremony in Quebec.

With this award, Coppieters recognizes Mrs Marois exceptional perseverance and determined advocacy for the public good, to defend a more just society and the democratic rights, particularly the right to self-determination as well as to the ideals of equality, peace and diversity.

What are Coppieters awards?

The Coppieters Awards are an initiative of the Coppieters Foundation to honour individuals and organizations that-like Maurits Coppieters himself used to- stand out in defence of cultural and linguistic diversity, inter-cultural dialogue, self-determination, rights of minorities, peace, democracy and a united Europe. The main objective of the Coppieters Awards is to give recognition to persons and organizations that have successfully managed to find innovative ways to advocate for and embody these values.

Who is Pauline Marois?

As the first woman to serve as Premier of Quebec, Madame Marois has left a mark on Quebec’s political life. Active on the Quebec political scene for over thirty years, she held numerous ministerial positions.

She headed a record 14 ministries, becoming the only politician to have run: finance, education and health.

She served as the leader of the Parti Québécois from 2007 to 2014, demonstrating long lasting commitment and leadership throughout her career.

She has been a strong advocate for democratic rights, particularly the right to selfdetermination. She was member of the Quebec Government during the 1995 referendum on independence. This stands as a testament to her commitment to giving voice to the democratic aspirations of the people of Quebec through peaceful and participatory means.

In multiple ministerial positions and as an activist, Madame Marois consistently championed policies that promoted citizen engagement, equality, and inclusive governance.

Since her retirement from political life in 2014, she has continued her commitment to serving Quebec society, for example by serving as president of the Fondation de la langue française’s fundraising campaign from 2019 to 2022 and in 2024 as Chancellor of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), the first woman to ever hold the position.

A strong supporter of linguistic and cultural diversity, she has defended the unique identity of Quebec while promoting dialogue and linguistic diversity —values that are essential to us. Madame Marois exemplifies the type of leadership that inspires generations to come in the defence of democratic self-governance, social justice and fundamental rights.

. . .

Practicalities:

When: Thursday 18 September 2025 at 17:00
Where: Bibliothèque de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec. 1150 avenue Honoré-Mercier. Québec.

This event is invitation-only. It is a private event and access is only allowed upon receipt of invitation and confirmation of interest.

Language:

The event will be held in French. No interpretation will be provided

Get involved:

This event is invitation-only. Share your views about the event on Social Media with the hashtag #CoppietersAwards25

Press:

Media inquiries can be addressed to info@ideasforeurope.eu

. . .

This award and the Coppieters Foundation is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the event nor for the opinions of the speakers at the awards ceremony.

. . .

Thank you for following our activities over the past few years. We hope our updates have been useful to you. We would like to keep informing you about upcoming events, new publications, summer schools, and job vacancies. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear from us in your inbox.