Staff recognized for supporting teacher in his role as Canadian reservist

On behalf of the Vice Chief of Defense Staff ESP (Employer Support Program) Team for the Canadian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-Colonel Joe Nuñez, MMM, CD was  at Vincent Massey Collegiate  in Rosemount on   May 26   for a very special presentation recognizing staff who supported teacher Vincent Gagnon for his deployment to Latvia and other assignments.

The ESP assists reservists when they are requesting time off for training or deployments and employers of reservists to better understand the value of the skills and experiences that their employee will gain through the trainings and deployments.     

Three members of the  EMSB personnel   were nominated for recognition: VMC Principal Franca Cristiano, Human Resources Director Ann Watson and Assistant Director of Human Resources Angela Vaudry. This will be done in the presence of Mr. Gagnon’s Secondary I students.

Mr. Gagnon has worked for  the EMSB since 2004. He currently teaches Histoire, Géographie, and Français langue d’enseignement at the Secondary I level.  

Mr. Gagnon first enrolled with  the Canadian Grenadier Guards, based in Montreal, in April 2001. He was part of Operation REASSURANCE, serving as Chief Liaison Officer for the Canadian Armed Forces’ largest overseas mission, contributing to NATO’s deterrence and defence posture in Central and Eastern Europe. For Operation DISTINCTION  he served as Officer in Charge of Ceremonial – International   during the 75th anniversary commemoration of the Dieppe Raid in France. This initiative supported the government of Canada’s National Commemoration Program, honouring the service and sacrifice of Canadian Armed Forces members and highlighting Canada’s military heritage.

 Mr. Gagnon  spent six months in Latvia at Camp  Adazi and Riga from July 2021 to January 2022 and occupied the role of chief liaison officer for the Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group. His responsibilities included facilitating communication among contributing military organizations and providing the commander with timely and relevant situational updates. “I worked closely with NATO partners, including Albania, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain, as well as with the Latvian National Land Forces and the three Baltic states and Poland Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Groups, to enhance interoperability and strengthen multinational cooperation,” he said.

Mr. Gagnon’s other overseas assignment was Operation DISTINCTION in France serving as Officer in Charge of Ceremonial – International in August 2017. “The recognition is not for me personally, but for three outstanding individuals  who have supported my military commitments throughout my time at VMC and the EMSB,” said Mr. Gagnon. “Reservists like me rely on supportive individuals and an understanding employer to balance training and operational deployments. I put forward their names for nomination in acknowledgement of the vital role they have played in enabling me to pursue my military endeavours alongside my teaching duties.”

About the English Montreal School Board
With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 73 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca