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February 27, 2015: Thierry Chopin inducted Chevalier in the Ordre National du Mérite of France


Dr. Thierry Chopin received the medal of the Order from Mr. Vincent Hommeril, Consul Général of France in the Atlantic Provinces, at a ceremony at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, on February 27, 2015. He was inducted as Chevalier in the Ordre National du Mérite by decree of the Président of the République Française, Mr. François Hollande, on November 13, 2014.

Dr. Chopin was Honorary Vice-Consul of France from 2001 to 2010, and has been Honorary Consul since 2011. He has also been Professor of Marine Biology at UNB Saint John since 1989.

The Ordre National du Mérite was founded on December 3, 1963, by Président Charles de Gaulle. It is an Order of State and is awarded by the President of the French Republic, Grand Master of the Order, on the advice of his Ministers (the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Mr. Laurent Fabius, in the case of Dr. Chopin). Général Jean Louis Georgelin is the present Chancellor of the Order, which has about 190,000 members.

French citizens, as well as foreign nationals, men and women, can be received into the Order, for distinguished civil or military achievements. It is the second highest honour of France for civilians, after the Légion d’Honneur.

For Dr. Chopin, this is a proud moment. “I have been involved with the French and francophone communities of New Brunswick for 15 years. I have been at the University of New Brunswick for 25 years, and this month, I will have spent as much time in my adoptive Canada as in my native France.”

“What a wonderful way to mark this milestone with such an honour, reflecting both the services rendered and a profound attachment to my roots!”


Discours de Mr. Vincent Hommeril, Consul Général de France dans les Provinces Atlantiques

Réception de Mr. Thierry Chopin, Professeur d’Université et Consul Honoraire de France dans l’Ordre National du Mérite

Distingués invités, Distinguished guests, chers amis, dear friends, M. le récipiendaire, cher Thierry,

Je remercie l’Université du Nouveau–Brunswick de nous accueillir aujourd’hui pour cette cérémonie de remise de décoration à l’un de ses professeurs. The University of New Brunswick in Saint John is commemorating this year half a century of existence. Around 2 500 students are studying here, with 120 professors working permanently. We wish a long life to UNB in Saint John.

L’Ordre National du Mérite, le deuxième ordre national français, après l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur, a été créé en 1963 par le Président de la République Française de l’époque, le Général de Gaulle. Il distingue des français et des étrangers qui se sont illustrés dans leur défense de la France et de ses ressortissants.

Dear Thierry, you were born in 1959 (a very good year, I must say, being also my year of birth) in Beaujolais, a province well known for its delicious wine. You began your studies at the University in Lyon but you quickly had the call of the Ocean and you reached in 1979 the University of Bretagne Occidentale in Brest in order to specialize in biological oceanography. You defended your thesis in February 1985 in Brest.

C’est ensuite que de février 1985 à décembre 1986 vous découvrez le Canada pour la première fois en tant que coopérant du Service National (qui était encore obligatoire à l’époque en France) auprès du Ministère des Pêches et des Océans. Vous faites ensuite des études post-doctorales en Floride en 1987. Vous retournez enseigner deux ans en France, à l’Université Lille Flandres Artois, et dès juillet1989, vous revoilà déjà de retour au Canada, cette fois-ci en tant que professeur assistant, puis associé, puis titulaire (en 1998) à l’Université du Nouveau–Brunswick à Saint Jean, en biologie marine.

Your work at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John is very impressive: you have published more than 113 refereed papers, 20 book chapters, 42 non–refereed publications, 360 abstracts (presented at 222 scientific meetings in 36 countries on 6 continents you travel much more than a diplomat…!). Your research focuses on the ecophysiology, biochemistry and cultivation of seaweeds of commercial value, and the development of Integrated Multi–Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems for environmental sustainability (nutrient biomitigation and other ecosystem services, and green technologies for improved ecosystem health), economic stability (improved output, product diversification, risk reduction and job creation in coastal communities) and societal acceptability (better management practices, improved regulatory governance and appreciation of differentiated and safe products).

Vous êtes membre de 17 sociétés scientifiques professionnelles. Vous êtes conseiller scientifique auprès de nombreux organismes y compris gouvernementaux. Ce qui est en outre très apprécié chez vous, c’est que vous prenez le temps de mener des actions de sensibilisation dans les écoles et auprès du public. Vous participez ainsi régulièrement à des présentations dans les écoles primaires et secondaires, ainsi que dans les camps d’été pour enfants, pour vulgariser la science, les algues et l’aquaculture. Vous organisez des excursions et donnez des conférences.

What is also very important for us is your implication in the French community of Saint John (120 French people registered, and 150 French tourists every year, more than 700 francophones in schools). You give wise advices to the newcomers and you help them in their first relations with the authorities.

Vous avez accepté d’être Consul Honoraire de la France à Saint Jean depuis le 10 avril 2001, c’est–à–dire, il y a presque 14 ans maintenant. Vous prenez cette responsabilité très à cœur et remplissez votre rôle à la grande satisfaction tant des autorités canadiennes que françaises. Vous accomplissez force formalités en faveur des Français. Vous fédérez la communauté française autour d’évènements tels que le Beaujolais Nouveau ou la Galette des Rois.

En 2004, vous avez participé activement aux célébrations du quatre centième anniversaire de la présence française au Canada avec l’arrivée de Pierre Dugas de Mons et de Samuel de Champlain dans la Baie Française (devenue Bay of Fundy) et la rivière Saint Jean. Vous êtes un soutien permanent de la communauté acadienne francophone locale, notamment la Communauté francophone de Saint Jean (ARCf), du centre communautaire Samuel de Champlain, des spectacles de la Francophonie et du Médicentre.

And finally, I would like to emphasize all the efficient help you give to the diplomatic and consular French authorities, which are always very interested in coming to Saint John, the biggest port of New Brunswick, which hosts the most important refinery plant of Canada. You organized very successfully economic visits for the benefit of the economic counsellor of the French Embassy and your various and important contacts in the economic field are very appreciated.

Pour toutes ces raisons, le Gouvernement Français, par Décret du Président de la République en date du 13 novembre 2014, a décidé de vous faire Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite. Vous m’avez très gentiment sollicité pour vous remettre officiellement cette décoration, ce dont je m’acquitte maintenant avec plaisir:

« Monsieur Thierry Chopin, au nom du Président de la République, et en vertu des pouvoirs qui me sont conférés, je vous fais Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite »

Vincent Hommeril
Consul Général de France dans les Provinces Atlantiques

Réponse de Mr. Thierry Chopin
Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite

C’est pour moi un grand honneur et plaisir de vous voir ici réunis en cette occasion.
This is, for me, a great honour and pleasure to see you all together for this occasion.

I will continue mostly in English, as most of you are English speaking or bilingual.

Monsieur le Consul Général, I would like to thank you very much because it is you, and the Ambassador of France in Ottawa, who recommended me for this great honour, becoming a Chevalier in the Ordre National du Mérite.

Madame Bernadette Chagny

I would also like to thank my godmother, Madame Bernadette Chagny, who lives in Paris and could not be with us today. She was President of one of the Chambers at the Court of Appeal of Paris and is also a member of the Ordre. She is offering me this medal… it is pure silver and not inexpensive! I better not lose it tonight!

This month of February 2015 is very special for me. It is a milestone in my life: I can say that I have spent as much time living in my adoptive Canada as in my native France. This medal, at this time, is a wonderful and meaningful way to celebrate the services rendered, with great pleasure, to both the French and Francophone communities, as Honorary Consul, as well as to the academic community, as a Professor of Marine Biology.

It also symbolizes my profound attachment to “la mère-patrie”, la France.

So, who am I at this juncture? Je suis Français et je suis Canadien!

I believe one is profoundly marked by his/her formative years. So, I am definitely French. My colleagues will attest to that: I say what I think, it’s direct and then we move on! I am easily irreverent, politically incorrect and often speak at the second or third degree! My references are not Shakespeare, but Molière, Voltaire, Lamartine, Camus, Modiano…

But, I have also learned a lot since being in Canada. At a thesis defence, I no longer say “That needs to be changed, that needs to be improved, but, by the way, you did a great job”. Now I say “You did a great job, but, by the way, that could be changed and that could be improved”!

What is important for me is to understand, without judging, the different cultures and to understand where behaviours come from. If you understand that, then you become tolerant and appreciate what is interesting in each culture and start to understand the world.

Since being on the North American continent, I have learned about:

I should clarify one thing for our Anglophone friends. After pinning the medal on my jacket, Monsieur le Consul Général did not kiss me; he gave me the traditional “accolade républicaine”. In fact, after the ceremony, we will have to sign some paperwork. If the accolade has not been given, the whole thing could be null and void! Last November, we bestowed 15 Légion d’Honneur medals to WW II veterans. After the ceremony, one veteran asked us: “The medal great; but what was that thing after?”!

So, coming back to me, I was conceived in Brittany… that must explain why I like sailing and why I decided to be a marine biologist.

But, I was born and raised in Villefranche sur Saône. And there is a connection to the Ordre National du Mérite. The Ordre was created in 1963 by Président Charles de Gaulle. 1965 was the year of the first direct presidential election in the Fifth Republic. Le Général stopped in Villefranche sur Saône during his election campaign and gave a speech on the Place de la République. I was there with my mother and my brother. At the end of the speech and before the “Vive la République, Vive la France”, I escaped the close watch of my mother. Did I ever hear of that later at home… but, as a 6 year old boy, I was able to squeeze through the crowd, and there I was against the fence, extending my hand as much as I could, and Le Général shook my hand… I did not wash my right hand for a week!

Born in Villefranche sur Saône means that I am also a son of the Beaujolais wine region, like the famous French physiologist, Claude Bernard, who was born 10 km from where I was born. I went to the High School Claude Bernard, the Music School Claude Bernard, the University Claude Bernard… Claude Bernard is the author of a very important book “Introduction à l’Étude de la Médecine Expérimentale”, published in 1865. It is in this key book that the modern experimental approach to science is described.

I also like Claude Bernard for another reason. He discovered a key function of the liver, glycolysis, a fundamental metabolic pathway I cover when I teach Introductory Biochemistry to students, who generally agonize over it, burning a lot of ATP energy molecules while trying to understand how the wonderful ATP machinery works!

The way he discovered glycolysis is also remarkable. It was before texting, but he nevertheless managed to get a message from his wife that it was more than time to go home instead of being late again… Sounds familiar?! He gathered his things, but in his hurry, left a liver on the lab bench… The next morning, there was a little puddle of a viscous, sugary solution next to the liver, and that was the beginning of understanding the metabolic pathway of sugars!

So you see… wives, families are never very far from great achievements! And I would like to take this opportunity to thank my wife, Kathy, and our two daughters, Marine and Morgan, for their support over the years.

Marine, yes, you can see the link… Those who remember the ferry to go to PEI will understand the joke of my father-in-law: “ah, yes, Marine, just like Marine Atlantic!”. Morgan, in the Keltic mythology, is the fairy of the sea shore.

So, yes, Kathy, Marine and Morgan, thank you for supporting me over all these years. “Support” is an interesting word when you are bilingual. In English, you support somebody financially, emotionally, etc. In French, “supporter” can also have another meaning, like “il faut se le supporter”, which means “you have to tolerate him”! And, yes, over the years, you have supporté this work alcoholic, obsessed with seaweeds, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, the turquoise revolution and aquanomy! Thank you so very much for all your support, in all the meanings of the word!

Mes chers amis, I have said enough, now it is time to celebrate… c’est maintenant le temps de célébrer.

Merci à tous!

Merci especially to Heather Campbell, who coordinated this event and its communication.


Mr. Robert Pichette dedicating his book "L’Acadie par bonheur retrouvée – De Gaulle et l’Acadie".




Video of the induction ceremony of Dr. Thierry Chopin as Chevalier in the Ordre National du Mérite of France

Vidéo de la remise des insignes de Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite à Mr. Thierry Chopin












Links to two newspaper articles:
– “Saint John professor awarded one of France’s highest honours”
– “Un professeur de Saint Jean décoré de l’Ordre National du Mérite”