International Organization of La Francophonie: number two thanked for his services

Geoffroi Montpetit (right) is the second Canadian to leave the OIF in just over two years.

It's a surprise, because member states liked it, says a source on Parliament Hill familiar with the matter. It seems that this departure is not as acrimonious as that of its predecessor, but is surprising because there were no known problems from a management point of view.

The question now is: is it a problem with the administrator or is it a problem with the general secretary? asks our source. In a sudden and unexpected gesture, Catherine Cano resigned in October 2020 before the end of her term. The OIF then spoke of persistent disagreements, which Catherine Cano did not want to comment on.

It is a crisis that is not quite open, but deep, comments another source. which revolves around the OIF to whom we have granted anonymity since she is not authorized to comment. According to her, the secretary general, Louise Mushikiwabo, and her close guard are creating dissension around them.

“At the last Francophonie Summit, in Djerba, there were countless internal tensions. »

— A source near the OIF

At the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, it was through the main interested party that we learned the information, not through the OIF. The important thing, it is said, is that the successor knows the device well, because we are still waiting for reforms of transparency and rigor. We are also said to be in agreement with Quebec on the choices of suggested candidates.

But it is impossible to know who is on the short list, Quebec limiting itself to saying that we do not know the circumstances of this departure. We have contacts with the office of Minister Joly, we are having discussions on the candidates, according to the office of the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Martine Biron, who learned that the mandate of Geoffroi Montpetit would not be renewed through its Paris delegation.

Geoffroi Montpetit, a former chief of staff at the Federal Ministry for International Development, was appointed as administrator of the OIF in March 2021. Last November, in an interview he gave to Radio-Canada on the sidelines of the Francophonie Summit in Djerba about the delay in the organization of the Francophonie Games, he had recognized that the work of modernization and transparency begun at the OIF was not finished. It's a marathon, not a sprint: there's still work to be done, he said, when asked about management issues raised in audit reports.

Tuesday evening, it was not possible to reach either Geoffroi Montpetit or a spokesperson for the OIF.

The Games of La Francophonie will indeed have good place, promises the Secretary General