Edith Dumont

Installation Day Highlights

On November 14, the Honourable Edith Dumont was installed as the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Photo Gallery

Official Biography

The Honourable Edith Dumont is the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and the first Francophone to hold the office. She was appointed on November 14, 2023, after a distinguished career in education.

Mme. Dumont was born in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, to a Québécois father and a Franco-Ontarian mother. She is the eldest of four children. She spent part of her high school years in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, and graduated from high school in Iqaluit.

Mme. Dumont’s career has taken her to many places in Canada and abroad. She is driven by the desire to connect people, strengthen communities and build collaborative teams. Throughout her career, she has been a strong advocate for diversity, women’s leadership and the Francophonie.

From an early stage in her career, Mme. Dumont was passionate about education. In the 1980s, she did humanitarian work in the Dominican Republic and taught schools in Rwanda. She also pursued academic studies, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in psychopedagogy from the University of Ottawa, as well as a bachelor’s degree in orthopedagogy from the Université du Québec en Outaouais.

She believes that schools should be at the core of the communities they serve. She worked for over 32 years at the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO). She filled progressively senior roles, rising from special education teacher to school principal. Eventually, she was appointed to the highest position in a school board as director of education and secretary-treasurer, becoming the first woman at the CEPEO to hold this position.

During her time at CEPEO, she helped achieve record graduation rates, with some schools showing success rates close to 95%. She also developed innovative initiatives to build educational leadership in schools and create resilient, caring school communities.

Mme. Dumont has always been mindful of how the diverse communities she encounters enrich her worldview. In the late 1990s, her and her family moved to Pretoria, South Africa, and then to Paris, dedicating four years to her family, to completing a master’s degree, and to volunteering in kindergartens.

Upon her return to Ottawa, as director of education, she signed international agreements between the CEPEO school board and European institutions in the fields of mental health, early childhood pedagogy, school management, and physical activity.

In 2020, as vice-president of partnerships, communities and international relations, Mme. Dumont was given responsibility for setting up the ambitious project for the province’s first stand-alone francophone university, the Université de l’Ontario français (UOF) in Toronto. She established UOF’s first collaborative agreements, implemented the Knowledge and Innovation Centre, and developed a customized training strategy for adults and businesses.

In addition, Mme. Dumont has received many honours in recognition of her contributions to education and community building. In 2018, she was named Chevalière de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French Republic for bringing international attention to Ontario’s expertise in education. She is also a member of the Order of Ontario and Dame of Justice in the Order of St. John, and received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, Ontario’s Ordre de la Pléiade Medal, the Order of Ottawa Medal, and several other professional distinctions.

Mme. Dumont lives with her husband, His Honour Mr. Tony Viscardi. They have three children: Éloïse, the eldest, born in Ottawa, Antoine, born in South Africa, and Gabrielle, the youngest, born in France. Together, they enjoy open-water swimming, sailing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and skating on the world’s largest natural rink, Ottawa’s Rideau Canal.

Read more about Her Honour’s work as an educator in this 2019 article from Le Chaînon (PDF).

Honours Received

Madame Dumont has received the following honours

Dame of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem

Member of the Order of Ontario (2023), postnominal letters: OOnt

The King Charles III Coronation Medal

Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques

Officier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur

His Honour, Mr. Tony Viscardi

Mr. Tony Viscardi was born in Sainte-Marthe-Sur-le-Lac, Quebec. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the Canadian Forces at the Collège Militaire Royal de St-Jean. He then earned a bachelor of computer engineering degree from the Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston.

As a young officer cadet, Mr. Viscardi completed his basic officer’s training at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Chilliwack in British Columbia. He also completed summer training at CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia, Baden in Germany, as well as North Bay and Trenton in Ontario. Following his graduation from RMC, he further specialized in aerospace engineering at CFB Borden in Ontario.

He started his career as a young aerospace engineer in Ottawa at CFB Rockcliffe, where he served for four years and retired at the rank of captain. Upon his retirement, he transitioned into the private sector to start a second career as an information technology consultant. He has served clients in Canada and also internationally in South Africa, France and the United States.

Celebrating 30 years of marriage to Mme. Dumont, Mr. Viscardi is a proud father of three children. Éloïse, the eldest, was born in Ottawa, Antoine in South Africa, and Gabrielle, the youngest, in France.

Together with Mme. Dumont, Mr. Viscardi enjoys trekking, sailing, cross-country skiing and skating on the Rideau Canal. He also enjoys playing golf, hockey and broomball with his long-time friends.

Mr. Viscardi holds a master’s of business administration (MBA) from the University of Ottawa.