Political reporter and producer Marc-André Cossette has been named the new face of live French programming on the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC).

As the channel’s new French anchor, Cossette will host CPAC’s nightly political news program L’Essentiel. The new role, which he’s set to take up in mid-September, marks a return to CPAC, where he previously was a journalist and producer from 2018-20.

He arrives from Global News where he’s most recently been a senior producer in the Parliamentary Bureau and prior to that was an investigative producer. Earlier in his career, he spent a year as an associate producer on CBC’s Power & Politics.

In an announcement, CPAC described Cossette as a “proud Franco-Ontarian.”

“He is keen to reach Francophones in every corner of the country. Combined with his extensive experience in the Canadian media landscape, he will play a key role in fulfilling CPAC’s mandate of connecting Canadians to their democracy,” the announcement stated.

“Marc-André’s journalistic expertise and deep knowledge of Canadian politics make him the perfect choice to anchor L’Essentiel and lead CPAC’s French programming,” said Christa Dickenson, President and CEO of CPAC. “We are delighted to welcome him back, where his professionalism and credibility will help us continue to provide Canadians with unfiltered access to the people and events that shape our democracy.”

“I’m thrilled to be returning to CPAC in this new role,” added Cossette. “In many ways, CPAC is where I got my start as a political journalist, surrounded by a team that prizes integrity, purpose and public trust. I’m looking forward to serving Francophone viewers from coast to coast to coast, providing trusted and insightful coverage of the issues shaping our society.”

Cossette replaces Esther Bégin, who had been CPAC’s francophone anchor since 2018.