Cross-cultural Conversation Frédéric Arnould & Valérie Lion

The Canadian Cultural Centre invites you to a cross-cultural conversation between Frédéric Arnould, Canadian author and journalist, and Valérie Lion, French author and journalist, on the occasion of the publication in France of their respective works C’est aussi ça, l’Amérique (Québec Amérique) and Comprendre les Canadiens (Riveneuve).

Far from stereotypes, this meeting offers a nuanced transatlantic dialogue on the singularities, contrasts, and multiple facets of Canadian and American societies.

A journalist and presenter on television and Radio-Canada for over 25 years, Frédéric Arnould has traveled the globe in his work as a reporter. A few months ago, he settled in Paris as a correspondent for Radio-Canada, a position he held in Washington until 2025. He had traveled extensively throughout the United States, gathering material for his book C’est aussi ça, l’Amérique (Québec Amérique). In his book, Frédéric Arnould meets a host of citizens from all walks of life. He paints an informative and human portrait of this country full of promise and contradictions, which guarantees its citizens great freedom and the tools to defend it…

In her book Comprendre les Canadiens (Riveneuve), journalist Valérie Lion debunks preconceived notions about Canadians, those “cousins d’Amérique” with whom the French and Europeans have written several pages of history. Beyond their reputation for pacifism and openness, who are Canadians really? Since 2025, never in its history has this country felt such a need to express its North American uniqueness in relation to its US neighbor and its attachment to values shared with Europe. With a down-to-earth approach, Valérie Lion continues her exploration of Canada from the inside, a country she has been traveling through for several years for her reports. For 15 years, she edited the annual special issue “S’installer au Canada” for L’Express magazine. Author of the 2005 book Irréductibles Québécois (Éd. des Syrtes), she has been deciphering Canada since 2018 in her newsletter “Attache ta tuque”.

This event will be  followed by a book signing in collaboration with Librairie du Québec à Paris.