Published November 24, 2025
Trailblazing Canadian journalist Madeleine Poulin, a pioneering on‑air presence at Radio‑Canada and the public broadcaster’s first female correspondent in both Ottawa and Paris, has died at the age of 87.
Her family confirmed her death to Radio‑Canada on Sunday, November 23, a day after she passed away on Saturday, November 22. Since then, tributes have poured in across Quebec and now internationally, as outlets from La Presse, Radio‑Canada and Le Devoir to global publications like The Economic Times, TVA/Journal de Montréal and StartupNews revisit her remarkable career. [1]
As of today, no cause of death has been made public.
A pioneer for women in political and foreign reporting
In the 1970s, when political reporting on television was still overwhelmingly dominated by men, Madeleine Poulin quietly — and then decisively — rewrote the rules.
- In 1976, she became Radio‑Canada’s first female parliamentary correspondent in Ottawa.
- In 1979, she broke another barrier as the network’s first female foreign correspondent in Paris. [2]
Colleagues frequently describe her as a pionnière whose presence in these high‑profile roles signalled to young women watching the evening news that they, too, could occupy the front lines of political and international coverage. Quebec media such as TVA Nouvelles and the Journal de Montréal underline that her “exceptional trajectory” opened the way for an entire generation of women journalists. [3]
Today, November 24, that assessment is being echoed far beyond Quebec. Indian business daily The Economic Times devoted an obituary to her, stressing how Poulin broke barriers in a male‑dominated industry and inspired generations of women in the field.
From typist to star foreign correspondent
Poulin’s path into journalism was anything but automatic.
According to multiple retrospectives, she joined Radio‑Canada in 1965 as a typist, then moved into the newsroom as a writer around 1968, climbing through the ranks through talent and persistence rather than connections. [4]
StartupNews, summarizing Quebec coverage, notes that she also pursued advanced studies in literature — some profiles describe her as holding a doctorate in literature — a background that sharpened the depth and nuance of her reporting and interviews.
By the mid‑1970s she was no longer just writing copy: she was on camera from Parliament Hill and, later, the streets of Paris, helping viewers make sense of Canadian politics, French politics and a rapidly changing world. [5]
Reporting from war zones and refugee camps
Beyond the symbolism of being “the first woman” in various posts, Madeleine Poulin built a reputation as a rigorous and courageous field reporter.
Recent coverage has highlighted several key chapters of her international work:
- She filed reports from Lebanon during the 1982 war, giving Canadian viewers vivid, sober accounts from the ground. [6]
- She covered conflicts and political upheavals in Cambodia and Panama, where she reported on ordinary people caught up in geopolitical struggles. [7]
- In 1985, she reported from Peshawar, documenting the lives of Afghan refugees after the Soviet invasion. A feature in La Gazette des femmes notes that she kept a black tunic bought in Pakistan at home as a lasting reminder of those assignments and the refugees she met.
Friends and colleagues have recalled that she came close to death in Afghanistan, a story her longtime friend and former Radio‑Canada news director Alain Saulnier has publicly recounted in interviews. He praised her fearlessness and her determination to stay in dangerous zones long enough to genuinely explain what was happening. [8]
Foreign correspondent Alexandra Szacka told TVA that Poulin was both discreet and astonishingly brave, someone who truly loved going to “the terrain of war,” not out of thrill‑seeking but out of a sense of duty to the audience. [9]
The calm, unforgettable interview with Pierre Elliott Trudeau
One moment from Poulin’s career has resurfaced repeatedly in obituaries and social‑media tributes: her 1987 television interview with then–prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
As The Economic Times and StartupNews recount, Trudeau adopted a dismissive tone and appeared to try to destabilize her on air. Poulin, however, remained composed and precise, calmly pressing her questions and refusing to be rattled. The exchange has become a classic clip in Quebec media circles — a masterclass in holding power to account without theatrics or raised voices.
For many younger journalists, that interview is proof that authority on television can be expressed through quiet firmness rather than aggression.
Hosting Le Point and Second regard
While she is widely remembered as a correspondent, Poulin also became a familiar host in Radio‑Canada’s current‑affairs lineup.
- She co‑hosted the influential nightly magazine Le Point, broadcast after Le Téléjournal and dedicated to in‑depth analysis and long‑form reporting. [10]
- Earlier in her career, she also helped anchor Second regard, a long‑running public‑affairs and spirituality program exploring ethical and social questions through documentaries and interviews. [11]
These shows placed her at the centre of how francophone Canadians understood domestic politics, international affairs and major social debates for more than a decade.
A deliberate retirement — and a second life in community work
Poulin left Radio‑Canada in 1997, around the age of 60. At the time, some observers saw her departure as a symbol of ageism and sexism in broadcasting. [12]
But in a 2013 profile in La Gazette des femmes, she insisted the decision had been hers. She explained that she wanted to make room for “dynamic journalists of 35 or 40” coming up behind her and to find another way to be useful, “in parallel,” outside the spotlight.
Retirement did not mean stepping away from public life. The same profile describes her as deeply involved in community and cultural projects in Montreal’s Sud‑Ouest borough, including an artistic and educational walking trail centred on jazz and local history. She spoke of spending her life oscillating between an observer’s gaze and a sense of indignation — and of channelling both into more local activism after television.
Honors: the Judith‑Jasmin Tribute Award
In 2015, nearly two decades after leaving the airwaves, Poulin received one of Quebec’s most prestigious journalism honours: the Prix Judith‑Jasmin Hommage, awarded by the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec (FPJQ) for lifetime achievement. [13]
Named after another legendary Radio‑Canada reporter, the award placed Poulin in the official pantheon of Quebec journalism. Coverage of the ceremony highlighted not only her trailblazing roles but also her meticulous standards and her insistence on letting interviewees — not journalists — take centre stage. [14]
Tributes from journalists, politicians and viewers
Since the news of her death broke, tributes have multiplied across X, Facebook, LinkedIn and traditional media.
- Journalists and former colleagues have called her a “pioneer,” a “rigorous journalist” and an “exceptional reporter”, echoing comments relayed in TVA’s coverage and in StartupNews. [15]
- Quebec Premier François Legault described her on X as a great, rigorous journalist and offered condolences to her family and loved ones.
- Other media figures have stressed how kind she was to younger staffers and how eager she was to share experience without ever imposing herself. [16]
For many ordinary viewers, the memories are more intimate: watching her with their parents on the evening news, or encountering far‑away conflicts for the first time through her calm, precise reports.
Key facts about Madeleine Poulin
For readers discovering her today through Google News and Discover, here are the essential facts:
- Born: 1938 (year inferred from the age of 87 given in obituaries; precise birth date has not yet been widely reported). [17]
- Died: Saturday, November 22, 2025, aged 87; her family confirmed the news to Radio‑Canada on Sunday, November 23. [18]
- Main employer: Radio‑Canada, where she worked from 1965 until her retirement in 1997. [19]
- Barrier‑breaking roles:
- First female parliamentary correspondent for Radio‑Canada in Ottawa (1976)
- First female foreign correspondent for the network in Paris (1979) [20]
- Notable assignments: Coverage of conflicts in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Cambodia and Panama; reporting from Afghan refugee camps near Peshawar in 1985. [21]
- Programs hosted: Current‑affairs magazine Le Point and public‑affairs/spirituality show Second regard. [22]
- Major honour: Prix Judith‑Jasmin Hommage (2015), recognizing her lifetime contribution to journalism. [23]
Why her death matters beyond Quebec
At first glance, the death of a retired francophone broadcaster might seem like a regional story. But the way today’s coverage is travelling — from Quebec dailies to Indian business media and global tech‑news aggregators — shows the global resonance of carefully reported journalism.
Madeleine Poulin’s life and career touch on several debates that are intensely current in 2025:
- Gender and representation in media: Her career opened doors at a time when many women on television were confined to lighter segments or secondary roles.
- Safety and ethics in conflict reporting: Her near‑miss in Afghanistan and her work in Lebanon, Cambodia and Panama highlight the physical and moral risks journalists assume to document wars and crises. [24]
- The value of public broadcasting: Many tributes emphasize that a public broadcaster such as Radio‑Canada can sustain the kind of international, context‑rich reporting that defined her work. [25]
As news of her death continues to circulate on November 24, 2025, Madeleine Poulin’s story is once again doing what her reporting always did: connecting audiences across borders and reminding them that journalism, at its best, is both a craft and a public service.
References
1. m.economictimes.com, 2. m.economictimes.com, 3. m.economictimes.com, 4. m.economictimes.com, 5. m.economictimes.com, 6. m.economictimes.com, 7. m.economictimes.com, 8. m.economictimes.com, 9. m.economictimes.com, 10. m.economictimes.com, 11. www.facebook.com, 12. m.economictimes.com, 13. m.economictimes.com, 14. coopfuneraireestrie.com, 15. m.economictimes.com, 16. x.com, 17. m.economictimes.com, 18. m.economictimes.com, 19. m.economictimes.com, 20. m.economictimes.com, 21. m.economictimes.com, 22. m.economictimes.com, 23. m.economictimes.com, 24. m.economictimes.com, 25. m.economictimes.com
