 Born in Petit-de-Grat, Nova Scotia, Fougère attended Saint Francis Xavier University for his undergraduate education and completed his theological studies at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal where he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity.He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Antigonish in 1969.Fougère served seven years with the Diocesan Mission in Honduras while still in the priesthood in Nova Scotia.