Jean-François Lépine is an eminent journalist who is now Director of Québec Government offices in China. Before moving to Shanghai, he was an international analyst, speaker, and associate in communication and government affairs at Avistra International Inc.

Until November 2015, he was also chair of the Middle Eastern and North African Observatory (Observatoire sur le Moyen-Orient et l’Afrique du Nord/OMAN) at the Université du Québec à Montréal and a member of Montréal International’s Board of Directors. He was a foreign correspondent for CBC/Radio-Canada in Beijing, Paris, and Jerusalem from 1982 to 1990 and is recognized as an exceptional analyst and communicator.

From 1990 to 2013, he hosted several popular public affairs television programs on CBC/Radio-Canada, including Enjeux, Le Point, Zone libre, and the international magazine Une Heure Sur Terre, which also aired on TV5 Monde.

His work both as a reporter and TV show host has been recognized by numerous awards. In June 2012, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada. That same year, he also received the Raymond Charette Prize awarded by the Québec Superior Council of the French Language.

3 words to describe Nature?

Wealth. Fragile. Happiness

3 things Nature taught you?

Resilience 

Fight to survive 

Enjoy life

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Quebec’s Laurentian forest 

The Atlantic Ocean in Maine USA 

The Amazon

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?

The power of nature

When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?

Protection, safety, life

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?

Life can be dangerous

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?

The earth is so vulnerable and small

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?

Nature is not always peaceful

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?

Natural life is also sound

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

All!

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Fishing in a wild lake with my father, brothers, and sisters.