Catherine Cano has been the Québec Government Representative in the Permanent Delegation of Canada to UNESCO since October 2, 2023.

Prior to that, she was a strategic advisor to business leaders and organizations on transformation and change management. Ms. Cano has had a long career in journalism in Québec, Ottawa and internationally. For over 20 years, she covered numerous international events including the G7, G8, Francophonie, Commonwealth and APEC summits, as well as the Middle East talks, five U.S. elections and the Olympic Games based in the United States, Qatar and Ottawa. In Québec and Canada, she covered and/or directed the coverage of more than a dozen elections, multiple federal-provincial meetings and the 1995 referendum, not to mention the myriad of social, economic and cultural issues facing Québec and Canadian society.

Ms. Cano was Director of Radio-Canada’s Réseau de l'information (RDI), the first Director of news content and public affairs for television, radio and the web at Radio-Canada, Director of Program Development for the CBC in Toronto and Acting Assistant News Director at Al Jazeera’s English network in Qatar before becoming President and General Manager of the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) in Ottawa. While at CPAC, she launched the world’s first international meeting of parliamentary channels, as well as a digital initiative focusing on democratic literacy for young people called Route 338. Her work in journalism earned her two Gemini Awards.

Her interest in international affairs and multilateralism dates back to her studies in international politics at the University of Ottawa, where she received an honours bachelor’s degree. Owing to her solid managerial experience, she was chosen to be the administrator and diplomatic mission head of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF). Her multilateral work was extremely productive, resulting in improved financial health, the creation of an initial transparency policy and the launch of a major transformation of the OIF. She was subsequently a visiting professor in the University of Ottawa’s Department of International Development and taught the enhancement of cultural institutions at Senghor University in Egypt.

She is also a two-time recipient of the Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award as well as the Innovator of the Year Award given by the Canadian Association of Women in Communications and Technology.

Catherine Cano also studied organ and harpsichord at the Conservatoire de musique de Chicoutimi.