Sylvie Sylvestre

Sylvie Sylvestre holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Université Laval and has over 20 years of experience in mental health, including several years in management. For the past 14 years, she has played a key role in advancing French-language health services in Ontario. As a caregiver, she supported her Francophone parents with determination, despite the challenges of a health care system often difficult to access in French. She successfully advocated for and secured appropriate care for her mother, who had Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and for her father, who lived with a major depressive disorder and Alzheimer’s.

Since the end of her caregiving role in 2023, she has continued her volunteer involvement. She chairs the Réseau francophone des Conseils de familles Ontario and serves on the Family Council of the Bignucolo residence in Chapleau. Sylvie has shared her experience in the media and contributed to various studies, including the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages’ study on access to health services in the minority language. In 2025, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal by Senator Lucie Moncion, in recognition of her dedication and advocacy for equitable access to French-language health care.