Minister Arcand's mission to U.S. The Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, is pleased with the meetings he had with influential figures from the political, economic and institutional sectors during his mission to Des Moines, Boston, Washington D.C. and New York. The mission’s purpose was primarily to further advance plans for a high-speed train, increase awareness about Québec’s hydroelectricity as a clean, renewable energy source and promote the opening of markets.

24 juin: La Fête nationale célébrée... à Brooklyn !

Minister Arcand on a mission to the U.S. Four American cities are on the agenda for the mission to the United States that Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, undertook on June 15. Aligned with the Québec Government’s U.S. Strategy, the mission is aimed at promoting Québec as an economic partner. The Minister’s first stop is Des Moines, Iowa, where he will take part in the Leadership Meeting held to coincide with the sixth conference of North America’s SuperCorridor Coalition (NASCO).

Join Québécois in New York on Québec Day, June 24 Two celebrations will mark Quebec's National Day on June 24.

Québec-Mexico: forging stronger bilateral ties Montréal provided the setting for Premier Jean Charest’s first official meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon on May 28 during Mr. Calderon’s two-day visit to Canada. They were joined by Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Espinosa, as well as by the Ministers of the Economy, Transport, Communications and Tourism. Pierre Arcand, Quebec’s Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, also attended.

2010 LOJIQ awards Last year, some 4,300 people took part in international youth mobility projects organized by Québec’s International Youth Offices (Les Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec/LOJIQ). The organization paid tribute to the excellence of 12 such projects at the second edition of the LOJIQ awards ceremony, which was held at the National Assembly on May 25.

Quebec and Long Island businesses join forces on R&D project Representatives from four Quebec companies specialized in applied security - TDS, Bombardier Transportation, R2G2 and Digiplan – met with Long Island-based IT businesses and research centers at the Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage, NY on May 18-19.

Banana Shpeel now at the Beacon Theater in New York Circus arts meet vaudeville in Cirque du Soleil's first Broadway show. Banana Shpeel is the latest show from producer extraordinaire Marty Schmelky and features a colorful array of slapstick comedy, eclectic dance and unique acrobatic acts.

Playwright Wajdi Mouawad at French Institute Alliance Française in New York As part of the series World Nomads Lebanon, FIAF presents two events with celebrated author, director, actor, and storyteller Wajdi Mouawad. On May 19, the evening will be dedicated to his brilliant and poetic theatre work. On May 21, he will be joined by actress and singer Jane Birkin. The two will read Mouawad’s The Sentinel—a personal work written especially for Birkin—as well as other select pieces.

International Economic Forum of the Americas/ Conference of Montreal The 16th International Economic Forum of the Americas/Conference of Montreal will take place from June 7 to 10, 2010 under the theme “Innovating to Succeed in a New Global Market.”

Québec ranks first for mining potential Mining industry leaders have ranked Québec number one in the world list of places for mining exploration and development, according to the annual survey conducted by the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian research organization. The survey seeks to determine the best place in the world for mining investment. Québec topped the survey for the third year in a row.

Manif d'Art 5 : Catastrophe? Quelle catastrophe! From May 1 to June 13, under the theme Catastrophe? Quelle catastrophe!, the Quebec City art bienniale will present the work of fifty artists from Québec and elsewhere.

The Long Island Forum for Technology, the Centre de recherche informatique de Montreal and Technopole Defence Security deepen their partnership Ray Donnelly, Deputy Executive Director of the Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT) and Walter Pogge, CEO of Retlif along with a delegation of business people involved in security technologies from Long Island, were in Montreal on April 6 and 7 to attend the annual « Cristal Ball » conference, which focuses on recent trends in information technologies. On the occasion of their visit, Mssrs. Donnelly and Pogge had the opportunity to meet with Daniel Blanche, the new CEO of the Centre de recherche informatique de Montreal (CRIM) as well as Alain Fecteau of Technopole Defence and Security, Mikaël Doucet from Bombardier Transportation as well as other CEOs and senior managers of information technology and security firms based in Quebec.

Otto Dix : Collaboration between the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Neue Gallery, New York Otto Dix (1891-1969), a German artist deeply affected by both World Wars, in which he fought, was at the forefront of the Berlin movement Neue Sachlichkeit [New Objectivity], which espoused a realist, often critical, view of society during the interwar years and portrayed their profound sense of unease and pessimism.

New production of Wagner’s Ring by Robert Lepage to begin at the Met in 2010-11 The first two installments of director Robert Lepage’s highly anticipated new production of Wagner’s epic Der Ring des Nibelungen, with stagings of Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, will bookend the Metropolitan Opera’s next season.

I Killed My Mother and Last Train Home at New Directors New Films in New York Four Québec films will be presented at the New Directors/New Films festival presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MoMA.

Minister Yolande James to discuss immigration policy at World Policy Institute, April 8, 6pm Québec Government Office in New York and the World Policy Institute present Immigration Policy in Québec: Successes and Lessons Learned , a discussion with Québec's Minister of Immigration Yolande James moderated by Michele Wucker, Executive Director at World Policy Institute.

Minister Arcand sets sights on Texas As part of a mission to the southern United States that got under way on February 22, Minister Pierre Arcand stopped in Houston and Austin, Texas, to meet with high-profile private and public stakeholders. The meetings were a chance for him to highlight Québec’s expertise in fields like energy and the environment, aerospace, nanotechnology and life sciences.

Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London, 1947-1957 exhibition is coming to the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec From 4 February to 25 April, 2010, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec will present Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London, 1947-1957.

Jean Charest in Washington: mission accomplished Premier Jean Charest visited the US capital from February 19-21 as part of a mission undertaken by the Council of the Federation, in conjunction with the winter meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA).