Actress, teacher and former senator Viola L茅ger has died at the age of 92.
A release from management company Le Grenier musique says L茅ger died Saturday in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
L茅ger was best known for her portrayal of the character La Sagouine in the play of the same name by Antonine Maillet, playing the role more than three-thousand times and winning the Dora Mavor Moore Award in 1981 for her performance. In 2013, she was recognized by the Governor General鈥檚 Performing Arts Awards with the Lifetime Artistic Achievement for theatre.
She was appointed to the Senate in 2001 by then Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien, serving as a representative of New Brunswick until 2005.
In a statement on Facebook, federal Minister of Official Languages Ginette Petitpas Taylor wrote Acadia will never again have such a loyal ambassador, saying La Sagouine was not only the role of L茅ger's career and life, but "also represented a symbol of great pride and tenacity for all Acadians."
L茅ger was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1989.
She retired from public life in 2017 after having suffering a stroke.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in the near future.
This report by 春色直播was first published Jan. 29, 2023.
