Bourassa was born the oldest of seven children in Trois-Rivières in 1942 and attended the École normale du Christ-Roi, from where she graduated with a teaching certificate in 1963.[2] She taught for a year before being recruited by the Ministry of education of Quebec, where she led the movement to introduce educational television programs for children in schools.[2] This effort contributed to the creation of the series Passe-Partout, on which Bourassa worked together with Louise Poliquin and Laurent Lachance, between 1977 and 1991.[2]