His work resulted in thousands of young global citizens.

Montreal, December 7th, 2007 – Jacques Hébert, founder of Canada World Youth, died on December 6th at 8:45 PM.  He was 84.

Jacques Hébert founded Canada World Youth (CWY) in 1971 to offer youths from different cultures a chance to live and do volunteer work together while sharing their thoughts and ideas.  His goal was to enable young people to acquire the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to play an active role in the development of just, harmonious, and sustainable societies.

“Throughout his life, Jacques Hébert devoted himself to youth with remarkable passion and energy,” declared Alexandre Trudeau, chairman of the board of CWY and a close friend of Mr. Hébert. “Committed to justice and equality, he was convinced that young people could effect extraordinary changes within society.  His legacy is a program whose positive impact has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people across Canada and around the world.  In fact his work helped prepare thousands of young citizens of the world to cultivate tolerance and resolve conflict in a peaceful and constructive way.”

A tireless globetrotter, Mr. Hébert loved speaking with participants in the CWY program.  On many occasions, they confided to him just how deeply CWY had affected their lives.  In 1977, his commitment to youth inspired him to create Katimavik, a program offering youths 17 to 21 a volunteer experience in Canada. 

Born in Montreal on June 21, 1923, Mr. Hébert had a distinguished career as a writer and publisher.  A contributor to the French-language daily Le Devoir (1951-1953), he founded two publishing houses - Éditions de l’Homme (1958) and Éditions du Jour (1961).  He also wrote many books, including Two Innocents in Red China (1960, in collaboration with Pierre Elliott Trudeau), J’accuse les assassins de Coffin (1963), The World is Round (1976), and, most recently, La comtesse de Merlin (2004).

In 1983, Mr. Hébert was appointed to the Senate of Canada, where he held several positions, including Chairman of the Special Senate Committee on Youth (1984-86).  He retired from political life in 1998.

Mr. Hébert’s strong leadership skills, extraordinary career, and ability to motivate and inspire others earned him numerous honours.  He was made Officer of the Order of Canada and Knight of the Ordre de la Pléiade; he was awarded an honourary doctoral degree from Toronto’s Ryerson Polytechnic University; and he was nominated for the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.
 
Canada World Youth is now in its 36th year.  Since 1971, it has enabled almost 30,000 participants from across Canada and around the world to participate in international educational programs in more than 67 countries. The CWY model has been adopted by many other countries, including England, Holland, and Sweden.  Mr. Hébert sat on the organization’s board of directors until 2007, the year of his death.

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Contact:
Chloé Gaudet
Communications Coordinator
Canada World Youth
514-931-1614, local 318
Toll free: 1 800-605-3526
cgaudet@cwy-jcm.org  

Note to media relations officers:

Mr. Hébert died on December 6th at 8:45 PM in his Montreal residence. Further details about funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.

Interviews may be arranged through our Communications department with Alexandre Trudeau, chairman of the board of Canada World Youth.

Please note that the family of Jacques Hébert has asked not to be contacted by the media.

Photos of Jacques Hébert for use in the media are available here.

Detailed biography of Jacques Hébert (PDF)