The distinguished career of Marcel Cadieux makes him arguably the most important francophone diplomat and civil servant in Canadian history. Cadieux's decision to join the Department of External Affairs in 1941 was unconventional for a French Canadian of the time, yet public service became his vocation. Against the backdrop of rising Quebec separatism and the Cold War, he headed the department from 1964 to 1970 and served as Canada's first francophone ambassador to the United States from 1970 to 1975. Cadieux's profound belief in the dignity of service speaks eloquently to readers today, when professionalism and expertise are often undervalued.
