Robertson Masson & Co. was an import-export company that existed under several names between 1811 and roughly 1900. Initially owned by brothers William and Hugh Robertson, and based in Glasgow, Scotland, the business expanded to Canada. The business dealt in import of goods to Canada, especially textiles, and export of Canadian goods to Europe, especially wheat and potash. In 1915, Joseph Masson became a senior partner and the company operated on Montreal under the name Robertson, Masson & Co. In 1930, they established a branch in Quebec City under the name Robertson, Masson, Strang & Co., overseen by John Strang, who was later succeeded by Charles Langevin. After the deaths of Strang and Masson in 1841 and 1847, new partners were brought in and the Montreal and Quebec companies became Masson, Bruyère, Thomas & Co. and Langevin, Masson, Thibaudeau et Compagnie, respectively. By 1859, a number of the partners retired or left the business, leaving the enterprise to Thomas and Thibaudeau. The company eventual became Thibaudeau Brothers & Co in the 1870s, and it contiued to exist under that name until at least 1895.

Élizabeth Robert was born in Beloeil, Québec.

She is a poet, translator, editor, and radio host. She speaks fluent French, English and Spanish. Robert graduated from Concordia University (B.A. in Translation) and has published two translations of collections of poems from English into French: “Walkups: scènes de la vie montréalaise,” by Lance Blomgren and “La bête mystique,” by Stephen Morrissey. Her poems have appeared in Montréal’s metro stations as part of “La poésie prend le métro,” in a Canadian anthology and Helios. She has participated in a few literary initiatives such as Random Acts of Poetry, Blue Metropolis and The Yellow Door Poetry & Prose Readings. Since 2008, Robert produces and hosts Poesía libre, a Spanish-language radio show dedicated to Latin aficionados and Hispano Montreal poets. She is also an editor of YoungPoets.ca, the youth section of the League of Canadian Poets. In 2008, she initiated and produced the first migrant poetry delegation Noches de poesía. Robert is a member of the boards of Diffusion Adage, la Société littéraire de Laval and the Literary Translators Association of Canada.