Originally from Edmundston, New Brunswick, Michel A. Carrier was appointed as New Brunswick's first Commissioner of Official Languages on February 20, 2003, and officially took office on April 1, 2003, for a five-year term. The Commissioner was reappointed for a further five year term in April 2008.

 

Mr. Carrier holds various degrees. In 1971, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the Collège Saint-Louis in Edmundston (Edmundston campus of the Université de Moncton). He then went on to study at the Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, before continuing at the University of Ottawa where he received a Bachelor's degree in Recreation in 1974.

 

After being employed as Recreation Director with the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, Mr. Carrier became provincial coordinator of the Recreation for the Disabled Program with the New Brunswick Department of Youth. He held this position from 1974 to 1977.

 

Mr. Carrier furthered his education in the late 70s and obtained a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1980. He was called to the New Brunswick Bar in 1981and established a general practice of law in the Fredericton area. In 1988, he became Executive Director of the Law Society of New Brunswick, a position that he held until 2003. Mr. Carrier was appointed Queen's Counsel in December 1999, a distinction bestowed on members of the Bar by reason of exceptional service to their profession.

 

Throughout his extensive career, Mr. Carrier has devoted time and energy to various boards, associations and volunteer work. He was part of the Board of Directors of Le Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne (Fredericton), the Cercle français de Fredericton and Dialogue New Brunswick. Futhermore, Mr. Carrier served as a member of the French for the Future Organizing Committee (Fredericton) and later on as a member of the Board of Directors of that national organization.

 

Mr. Carrier is married to Johanne Carrier (Daigle) and they have two children, Nicolas and Myriam.

 

The Commissioner of Official Languages for New Brunswick is an Officer of the Legislative Assembly and is independent of both the political process and the public service.