René Villemure

Biography

René Villemure is a prominent ethicist, philosopher, international lecturer, and Canadian politician. He was born in Drummondville and spent his formative years in Trois-Rivières. René Villemure completed his high school education at École secondaire Chavigny and pursued his college studies at Cégep de Trois-Rivières.

After obtaining a master’s degree in philosophy from the Université de Sherbrooke in 2000, René Villemure embarked on a three-year doctoral program in philosophy. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to the ethical management of public and private companies, becoming the first ethicist in Canada outside of academia to specialize in this area. René Villemure introduced the field of applied ethics for organizations, establishing himself as a pioneer in the practice of ethical governance.

In 1998, René Villemure founded the Institut québécois d’éthique appliquée. Since then, he has provided invaluable guidance to senior executives in both the public and private sectors, assisting them in navigating complex ethical dilemmas. He has conducted numerous ethical diagnoses and has helped develop mission statements and value guides for his clients.

In 2003, René Villemure established Éthikos, a company aimed at promoting ethics through reflective bulletins that offer practical illustrations of ethical concepts in real-life situations.

René Villemure has been a respected educator as well. From 2009 to 2020, he taught ethical governance at the College of Corporate Directors of Laval University. Additionally, from 2018 to 2020, he served as a faculty member at the Directors College of McMaster University.

As an international lecturer, René Villemure has delivered over 700 lectures around the world, reaching an audience of more than 75,000 individuals. His expertise in ethics and his ability to contextualize ethical considerations in various contexts have made him a sought-after speaker.

In the realm of politics, René Villemure embarked on a political career following the 2021 Canadian federal election. He ran as a candidate for the Bloc Québécois nomination in the Trois-Rivières riding. Despite some controversy surrounding his candidacy, he secured the nomination and went on to compete in a three-way battle during the election. Ultimately, he emerged as the Member of Parliament for Trois-Rivières in the House of Commons, with a narrow but decisive victory.

René Villemure assumed significant roles within the Bloc Québécois and the Canadian Parliament. As a spokesperson for the party, he became a prominent voice on Ethics, Privacy, and Access to Information, as well as the International Francophonie. René Villemure’s expertise in ethics positioned him as a valuable member of the Ethics Committee, where he was elected Vice-Chair. He played a crucial role in raising privacy concerns related to the use of cellular location data by the Public Health Agency of Canada during the pandemic, resulting in a recommendation for a revision of privacy protection legislation.

René Villemure’s contributions extend beyond Canada’s borders, as he became the Vice-President of the Canadian section of the Assemblée des parlementaires de la Francophonie. In this role, he advocated against the discriminatory treatment of French-speaking foreign students by the federal government, highlighting the significant disparities in visa refusal rates between different universities.

René Villemure is also an accomplished author. His book, “L’éthique pour tous… même vous!” (Ethics for Everyone… Even You!), published in September 2019, has gained recognition for its valuable insights and contribution to society. In acknowledgment of his outstanding contributions to the field of ethics and his impact on society,

René Villemure was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in 2019.