Robert-Falcon Ouellette is from Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. He is a dedicated community organizer, educator and anthropologist doing research in the areas of Indigenous education, military ethics and political science. He recently helped create the new Yellowquill University College, the only Indigenous post-secondary institution in Manitoba. He has a PhD and two Master's degrees from Laval University in Quebec City, and was only the second Indigenous person to graduate from Laval with a PhD in 350 years. He is a former Member of Parliament. During his mandate, he obtained unanimous consent to change the Standing Orders of the House of Commons for the full inclusion and interpretation of Indigenous languages. Professor Ouellette was the Chair of the Indigenous Caucus and helped lead change in Child and Family Services and languages legislation, as well as other initiatives focused on advancing reconciliation. His keynote address will focus on issues surrounding indigenous languages rights in the Canadian context.

Annette Boudreau, professor emeritus of sociolinguistics at the University of Moncton, is renowned for her work on linguistic insecurity in French-speaking Canada, its manifestations, consequences, and ways to counter it. She has published numerous articles on the subject and on the Acadian Francophonie in general. She is the author of several books on linguistic issues in Acadie: "À l'ombre de la langue légitime. L'Acadie dans la francophonie" (2016), "Dire le silence. Insécurité linguistique en Acadie. 1867-1970" (2021), "Insécurité linguistique dans la francophonie" (2023), and "Parler comme du monde" (2024). Her plenary keynote address (in French) will address the challenges (and joys) of doing sociolinguistic and applied research in a linguistic minority context.