On November 10, Premier Jean Charest met with the Prince of Wales, who was accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, during the couple’s official visit to Canada. Discussions focused primarily on climate change, relations between Québec and the United Kingdom, and the project for a Canada-EU economic partnership agreement.
A memorandum of understanding signed in Montréal between INIS (Québec’s National Institute of Image and Sound) and ESCAC (Catalonia’s School of Advanced Film and Audiovisual Studies) opens a new chapter in cultural cooperation between Québec and Catalonia. Through the agreement, the institutions seek primarily to stimulate exchanges among professors and provide an opportunity for students from Catalonia and Québec to carry out a project in conjunction with the Portraits croisés international exchange program.
On November 5, the Québec Government Office in São Paulo was inaugurated by the Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, with over 200 people in attendance. Brazilian authority representatives and members of the diplomatic corps posted in São Paulo were among the guests welcoming the Québec government’s official presence in Brazil.
While in Rio de Janeiro during his mission to Brazil, the Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, met with city officials and the state governor. Following the discussions, Minister Arcand confirmed that city officials are open to working with Québec companies and agencies interested in contributing to Rio’s development in anticipation of the major events scheduled to take place there: the 2011 Military World Games, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Québec film industry’s discovery of the year, J’ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother), by Xavier Dolan, screened in Hollywood on November 3 as part of the AFI FEST 2009 official competition. The film’s American premiere was held in the mythical Chinese Theatre in the presence of actors François Arnaud and Patricia Tulasne.
A business delegation will accompany the Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, on his mission to Brazil, which begins October 30. The mission’s purpose is to develop new areas of cooperation, boost investments and promote the know-how of Québec companies. Representatives from the cultural, educational, research, science and technology, and social economy sectors will also be joining the delegation which is scheduled to makes stops in Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba (Paraná) and São Paulo.
Twenty prêt-a-porter manufacturers from Québec participated in the highly anticipated Montréal Collections fashion show at AmericasMart Atlanta on October 17. More than 500 agents and buyers from specialty apparel boutiques and retail chains in the Southern United States attended the show highlighting spring collections for 2010. Montréal Collections, which takes place annually, is organized by the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation, in collaboration with the Québec Government Office in Atlanta.
Bolloré Group, the French industrial conglomerate, plans to invest $120 million in its Boucherville plant on Montreal’s South Shore. The facility produces batteries for electric cars and minibuses.
In a video interview for L'Express.fr, Québec’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, Line Beauchamp, described the concerted effort of federated states, including Québec, to have their essential role recognized in the text of the next United Nations agreement on climate change.
Québec’s Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, underlined in the National Assembly the first anniversary of the Québec-France agreement on mutual recognition of professional competence, signed in Québec City on October 17, 2008, by Premier Jean Charest and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The Washington Center for Internships and Seminars and the Ministère des Relations internationales (MRI) celebrated the 10th anniversary of their partnership on October 3 at an event at HEC Montréal. Specializing in organizing internships in the US capital, the Washington Center has welcomed nearly 100 students from Québec under the auspices of a program launched with the MRI in 1999.
Pierre Arcand, Québec’s Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, travelled to Plattsburgh on October 19 to address the Plattsburgh North County Chamber of Commerce and to discuss the proposed Montréal-New York high-speed rail line, a top-priority project for both the governments of Québec and New York State.
Nine of the best and most innovative companies from Québec’s green economy sector participated in the 2nd Atlanta International Environmental Trade Mission from October 5-9, co-hosted by the Atlanta Development Authority and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Québec Government Office in Atlanta and the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation.
A major delegation of Québec horticulturists took part in the Amsterdam Horti Fair held from October 13 to 16, 2009. The tenth edition of the international horticulture trade fair drew 47,000 visitors from around the world.
Québec’s Minister responsible for Seniors, Marguerite Blais, carried out a mission to Belgium on October 13 and 14. The greying of the population is a major social policy issue in both Wallonia and Québec. Indeed, people aged 65 and over account for 16% of the population in Québec, and the figure is similar for Wallonia. Minister Blais’s visit was an opportunity for the Government of Québec to tap into the expertise and experience of its Walloon partner, with a view to boosting its effectiveness in creating favourable conditions for seniors’ self-fulfilment.
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