As you may have heard, after five years as our Executive Director, André-Yanne Parent will be stepping down as of April 19, 2024. It is with mixed feelings of sadness and introspection that we say goodbye, but, more than that, our hearts are filled with gratitude for her five
years of dedication, leadership, vision and passion.
The planning for the transition is already underway and we will share more news about that very soon.
But first, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank André-Yanne for her commitment to climate action, to centring social justice and to empowering people to be catalysts of change in their communities. Her contribution not only to The Climate Reality Project but to the climate movement is immense.
Certaintly one of the highlights of her mandate: André-Yanne moderated a conversation with Benoit Charette, Quebec's Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, at the "Quebec Climate Diplomacy" event organized by the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations. André-Yanne Parent successfully defended the concernes of environmental and social groups, while fostering a respectful and constructive dialogue between the government and civil society groups.
André-Yanne joined The Climate Reality Project Canada team as Executive Director in March 2019, and what a journey it’s been!
In 2019, Climate Reality Canada was a Montréal-based team of three with a budget under $300,000 and we are now a pan-Canadian team of 15 with over 1 million to deliver our programming! André-Yanne’s guidance and strategic acumen have been invaluable as we have built out new programs adapted to regional contexts and broadened our impact across the country. And we are more convinced than ever that confronting the climate crisis requires solutions built from the ground up through local, grassroots mobilization. Never before have we been in a better position to support this kind of work.
“I know that I am leaving a strong, confident, dedicated and above all incredibly competent team. The greatest pleasure of my mandate has undoubtedly been working with such extraordinary people,” André-Yanne said as she announced the end of her mandate. “This decision was difficult to make, even heartbreaking. CRP is an organization that has had a profound impact on my professional and personal life. I believe deeply in its mission and I am still speechless by the passion shown by each member of the team. I learned so much during this mandate and being surrounded by such inspiring people!”
We are very proud of what we have accomplished in recent years with the contribution of our staff, our network of volunteers, our board and Indigenous Advisory Circle. Distributed leadership is one of our guiding principles and this journey has definitely been a team effort, but we must give credit where credit is due in honouring André-Yanne’s tireless efforts to increase the organization’s capacity to deliver on its important mission. Climate Reality Canada’s remarkable evolution over the past five years has taken the organization in exciting new directions and been marked by some impressive milestones. In 2021, the National Climate League won the Clean50 Top Project award, recognizing the impact of this grassroots data collection effort that tracks municipal climate action and builds public policy literacy. The implementation in 2022 of the Indigenous Advisory Circle in order to centre Indigenous knowledge and decolonization in our governance structure. This year, we launched our very first regional Advocacy Training in the Prairies, training over 200 people and supporting community networking in this vital region for the possibility of a sustainable energy future in this country. Our presence at the United Nation’s COPs on climate change as a voice for global equity and contribution to The Climate Reality Project’s international strategy. We were a founding member of the coalition-led Climate Dialogues series. So many milestones that André-Yanne was instrumental in making happen!
Thank you André-Yanne for five exciting and deeply meaningful years, marked challenges and evolution, solidarity and positive visions for the future.
On behalf of the entire Climate Reality Canada Team , we thank you, André-Yanne, and wish all the best in your next chapter!
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Change is in the air: a time of heart-felt goodbyes and new beginnings
This year, the arrival of spring will have been marked by the departure of two long-standing members of our team. As you may have already heard, our Director of Operations, Émilie Campbell-Renaud and André-Yanne Parent, our Executive Director, will be leaving the team to pursue new projects. This coincidental parting of ways with two of our most senior staff has certainly left us nostalgic and filled with emotions. But we are also excited for the possibilities ahead — of new collaborations, new ideas and continued evolution. We know both Émilie and André-Yanne will continue to be valuable members of the climate movement — and will be there for input and advice when we need it. The leadership transition will be a time of renewal and strategic reflection on how we can best galvanize grassroots and community engagement for climate policy that can effectively address the climate crisis. Though, rest assured our programming will continue through regional engagement and trainings, the National Climate League (municipalities and campus editions!) and the Community Climate Hubs network.