Skip to content

Annual Teachers' Convention 2023

October 8 to 17 - Hotel Bonaventure Montréal

Reservation deadline : September 11, 2023

Keynote Speakers

Susan Aglukark

Susan Aglukark is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno (3), a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and she is an officer of the Order of Canada. Susan holds several Honorary Doctorate degrees and has held command performances.

During a career that has spanned more than 25 years, Susan’s journey as a singer-songwriter has led her to reflect on who she is, where she comes from and the importance of discovery – discovery of history, culture and self, this time of reflection, writing and songwriting has Susan coming back to one area of profound knowing, the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their Ancestors, their journey is what shaped them.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

His meteoric rise has been so remarkable that the Kansas City Star called him “the most interesting man in the NFL.” And for good reason: not only does Laurent Duvernay-Tardif play for the Kansas City Chiefs, he is also studying medicine at McGill University.

In May 2014, at the age of only 26, the Mont-Saint-Hilaire native became the 10th Canadian—and first Quebecker—to be drafted by an NFL team. In his second season in Kansas City, the six-foot-five-inch 330-pound player earned the position of right guard on the team. He finished his third season this winter.

Passionate about both football and medicine, Laurent turned a deaf ear when counsellors and family members advised him to choose between sports and studies. And it proved to be the right choice! “It’s all about balance. Don’t give up on your passions!” he tells the young people he meets at the many talks he gives at schools.

Duvernay-Tardif played university football with the McGill Redmen (2010 to 2013) after his college career with the Phénix at Collège André-Grasset (2008-2009). Previously, he played three seasons with the Richelieu Pirates in Beloeil.

From the beginning of his career, he has been honoured with awards, both athletic and academic. He is a two-time winner of the Montreal Alouettes bursary, awarded in partnership with the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence du Québec, in 2009 and 2013. In January 2014, he played in the NCAA’s East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Florida, as part of an all-star team in which only two Canadians are invited to participate. He attracted the attention of NFL recruiters.

Already very involved in his community despite his grueling schedule, Laurent is driven by the desire to get young people excited about physical activity and promote healthy lifestyles. On June 20, 2016, between two shifts at a Montreal hospital, he got together with 150 students from three Montreal-area elementary schools at Percival Molson Stadium for a day dedicated to sports.

An avid sailor—he spent many summers as a camp counselor—and fan of contemporary art, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is as charismatic as he is physically imposing, and his future holds great promise. So keep your eye on number 76: Doc (as he is known to his teammates) has more than one trick up his sleeve.

Download the QPAT app for the latest updates on the 2022 Annual Convention.