Fondo RC0073 - Paul A. Ladouceur

During the mid-1960s, Paul André Ladouceur attended Loyola College in Montreal and was active there in student politics, serving as vice-president of the Students Administrative Council in 1965. He also held positions with the Canadian Union of Students (CUS) between 1964 and 1966 as Quebec regional president and as associate secretary for international affairs within the CUS Secretariat. As a result of the international scope of his duties, Ladouceur was also responsible for CUS involvement in the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU).

After graduating, he completed a Master’s degree in international relations at Carleton University’s School of International Affairs between 1966 and 1968, producing a research essay on the International Union of Students (IUS). After further studies in Geneva, Switzerland, he began a doctorate in political studies in 1969 at the University of Sussex, specializing in African politics. His thesis was published by Longman in 1979 under the title Chiefs and Politicians: The Politics of Regionalism in Northern Ghana. During his studies in Geneva in 1968, Ladouceur became closely involved with the development of the IUEF, a non-governmental organization dedicated to assisting African and Latin American refugee students through scholarships. He sat on the international board of the IUEF from 1969 until 1980, and from 1977 was its secretary-treasurer. In 1980 the IUEF was troubled by the revelation that its deputy director since July 1978, Craig Williamson, was a spy for the South African police force. The aftermath of the “Williamson Affair” resulted in the dissolution of the IUEF.

From 1972 to 1992 Paul Ladouceur was a public servant with the Canadian government, initially with the Canadian International Development Agency. He was on leave of absence with the World Health Organisation in Geneva from 1985 to 1993. He returned to Canada in 1996 and since then has been involved with the Orthodox Church.