Georges Vanier

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Georges Vanier became Governor General of Canada on September 15, 1959. His years in office were unusually turbulent and unsettling but his obvious interest in the poor and the humble, in the problems of young people and in the condition of the family won him the admiration and affection of Canadians.
In 1964, Pauline and Georges founded The Vanier Institute of the Family to provide aid to families in need of counsel and to deepen understanding of the vital importance of family life to all Canadians.

Pauline Vanier

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​Pauline Vanier was the spouse of Georges Vanier (above) and was a devoted companion and mother.  She helped develop the Vanier Institute of the Family (which continues to exist today) and spent the last years of her life in the first L'Arche community in France helping forge caring relationships with the residents and those who traveled from throughout the world to live in solidarity with those who are society's most vulnerable.