On May 8, Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, took part in the signing ceremony for an agreement between Montréal International and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), under which WADA will keep its secretariat in Montréal until 2021. The document was signed on the WADA premises by John Fahey, WADA President, David Howman, WADA Director General, and André Gamache, President and CEO of Montréal International.
On May 6, Québec Premier Jean Charest announced the appointment of former Premier Pierre Marc Johnson as Québec’s chief negotiator for the proposed trans-Atlantic agreement between Canada and the European Union (EU) aimed at facilitating trade and expanding areas of cooperation.
On April 30, David Fetter, US Consul General in Québec City, unveiled a plaque commemorating the 175th anniversary of the US’s consular presence in Québec at a ceremony attended by Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie.
Canada’s largest convenience store operator, Alimentation Couche-Tard announced an agreement to acquire ExxonMobil’s "On the Run" convenience store franchise system in the U.S. and 43 of its company owned and operated sites in the Phoenix, Arizona market area. The transaction is anticipated to close in late May.
French and Québec authorities finalized 14 mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) in Paris on April 27. The MRAs were signed during the first meeting of the bilateral committee responsible for implementing an agreement between France and Québec on recognition of professional qualifications, co-chaired by Pierre Arcand, Québec’s Minister of International Affairs and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, and Alain Joyandet, France’s Secretary of State for Cooperation and La Francophonie.
The BIXI self-serve bicycle system of the City of Montréal won first prize in the “Energy and Sustainability” category at the Edison Awards on April 1 in Mountain View, California. These awards, which are inspired by the famous American inventor, are awarded annually for the most innovative products in North America. The Québec Government Representative in Los Angeles, Denis Turcotte, was in attendance to receive the award on behalf of Mayor Gérald Tremblay.
At the April 15 opening of the Montréal Millennium Summit, the Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, reaffirmed Québec’s role in achieving the United Nations Millennium Goals. Addressing an audience of international experts, Minister Arcand noted that Québec has been a true pioneer in international solidarity for over thirty years through its recognition of the vital role civil society plays in development.
An update on the second year (2007-2008) of Québec’s International Policy is now available on the website of the Ministère des Relations internationales (MRI). In addition to summarizing the status of some 70 measures and initiatives set out in the 2006-2009 action plan arising from the Policy, the report confirms the value of the concerted international action taken by partner departments and agencies and emphasizes Québec’s range of action.
This fall, Québec artists will take the stage at two of New York City’s greatest performing houses. In unveiling its new season earlier this year, the Metropolitan Opera announced that Québec maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin and director Robert Lepage will be part of its schedule for 2009-10. Another highlight of the season will be two performances at Carnegie Hall by celebrated Québec chamber music ensemble Les Violons du Roy.
The BIXI self-serve bicycle system of the City of Montréal won first prize in the “Energy and Sustainability” category at the Edison Awards on April 1 in Mountain View, California. These awards, which are inspired by the famous American inventor, are awarded annually for the most innovative products in North America. The Québec Government Representative in Los Angeles, Denis Turcotte, was in attendance to receive the award on behalf of Mayor Gérald Tremblay.
The Ministère des Relations internationales (MRI) has just released its first sustainable development action plan, which sets forth the efforts that the department plans to prioritize in order to contribute to the Government Sustainable Development Strategy for 2008-2013. The MRI’s sustainable development contribution is adapted to the department’s special mission and will mobilize all of its resources, in Québec and abroad.
FAST, which stands for Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade, recently inaugurated its secretariat in Montréal. This international NGO’s mission is to increase sustainable production and trade through financing adapted to small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries. The Ministère des Relations internationales assisted in establishing the secretariat of FAST in Montréal through the Fonds de développement International de Montréal (fund for the international development of Montréal).
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous 1969 Bed-in in Montreal with an exhibition designed to renew their still-topical peace message.
A return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil, KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. Combining two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning - the show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility.
The National, a United Arab Emirates-based daily newspaper, won 22 awards of excellence, including three silver medals, at the 30th annual Best of Newspaper Design competition. Montréal designer Lucie Lacava and her team designed the layout of the paper, which was launched last year in Abu Dhabi.
In the presence of Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation announced on March 9 that it was donating $100,000 to the Fondation des Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec (“Fondation LOJIQ”), to support tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. The donation provides direct assistance for young entrepreneurs who deploy a formative business project in France.
On March 11, the Government of Québec tabled Bill 3, called “An Act to provide for the implementation of the Entente entre le Québec et la France en matière de reconnaissance mutuelle des qualifications professionnelles and similar agreements,” in the National Assembly. The purpose of Bill 3 is to implement the agreement that Québec Premier Charest and French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed on October 17, 2008. This historic text establishes a procedure for mutual recognition of professional competence, and thus facilitates the issuing of permits to allow individuals to exercise their profession or trade in both France and Québec.
Québec City has been chosen to host the province’s first sustainable tourism event. From March 17 to 19, the International Symposium on Sustainable Tourism Development will be an opportunity for guest speakers from a number of countries and public and private players in the field of tourism development to discuss principles and practices in the field of sustainable tourism.
On Thursday, March 5, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and about 50 environmental leaders took part in a reception held jointly by the Délégation du Québec à Atlanta (Québec Government Office in Atlanta) and the Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta. Among other things, the event was aimed at highlighting the participation of members of the Atlanta community in the Americana environmental trade show, to be held in Montréal from March 17 to 19.
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