Catherine Lord obtained a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Saint Thomas University (N.B.). During her studies, she tutored Spanish and Italian at university, and was also a French teacher at primary and secondary levels. She then worked in Montreal with an international student clientele who came to learn French or English. These experiences led to her current position in 2003. She subsequently completed an M.A. in French Studies at Queen's University (ONT).
Since joining the Military College, she has worked mainly in the French as a Second Language Program with Officer Cadets and Midshipmen, but also in other programs, always ready to take on new challenges and address them creatively.
Her current fields of interest and study include otherness and identity in minority and FSL contexts in Canada. Ms. Lord is also taking various training courses on issues she feels are essential to the Military College’s academic community, including anything that helps her offer more inclusive courses that better reflect students' lived experiences. Ms. Lord is pursuing her professional development with the aim of creating resources and programs that better take into account the realities that future officers will have to deal with in the performance of their duties.
In her spare time, she enjoys studying other languages and practicing them regularly, which helps her maintain a learner's perspective. Ms. Lord is also involved in various community and cultural activities. She is a member of the APFUCC (Association des professeurs-es de français des universités et collèges canadiens), the Melos Choir and Period Instruments, as well as Mensa Canada., among others.
Courses taught
- Minor in French │ 2018-present
(In collaboration with the Department of French Language, Literature and Culture)
For RMCC students
BBB maintenance and CBC achievement
- Regular Training Courses │ 2003-2006, 2015-present
For RMCC students
Canadian Forces French Curriculum
No profile, until BBB achievement
- Second-Language Immersion Week │ 2024-2025
For fourth-year students
Oral skills practice for BBB achievement
- Introduction to French │2023
For students in the Indigenous Leadership Opportunity Year Program
- English as a Second Language Course │ 2019
For Language Center employees
BBB maintenance
- Continuous Senior Level Course │ 2006-2015
For Senior Officers
BBB upgrade and CBC achievement
- Senior Level Courses │ 2013-2014
For managers and deans of RMC departments
BBB upgrade and CBC achievement
Current projects
Research and training:
- “L'Autre et le Soi dans le parcours d'un-e apprenant-e adulte en FLS au Canada ; quelques réflexions quant aux ouvrages utilisés en classe”, (The other and the self in the journey of an adult FSL learner in Canada; some thoughts on the works used in the classroom), Roundtable 1 - Pedagogies of Otherness, International Symposium on Bilingualism, Rethinking Otherness and Identity: Reading, Teaching, Translating. University of Calgary, October 2025
Creation:
- LORD, Catherine, Oral Interaction Preparation Guide for Undergratuate Students in the Canadian Forces. Publication printed in-house, modernization under way.
Memory
- Master's thesis: “The Reclamation of Identity in Two Diasporic Novels: The Bay City Sky by Mavrikakis and The Book of Emma by Agnant,” Queen's University, 2012.
Communications
- “Hierarchization and lack of legitimacy of different accents in the French-speaking world. What to make of the hierarchy of the different accents of the French-speaking world in a French as a second language classroom context?,” Professional Development Roundtables, APFUCC Seminars. Royal Military College of Canada, May 2025.