The Image Mill is back in Quebec City! A mega production created in 2008 for the Québec City’s 400th anniversary, the Image Mill is back for a second edition this summer. This time, Robert Lepage and Ex-Machina promise to wow audiences with even more sophisticated concepts and mind-blowing new visual effects. Over 20% of the content will be reworked and improved, or enhanced with new material.

Cultural diversity: Québec welcomes Canada’s re-election to the Intergovernmental Committee The second session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions concluded in Paris on June 16. The meeting was aimed primarily at approving operational guidelines facilitating the implementation of the Convention and electing new members to the Intergovernmental Committee. In this regard, Québec welcomes Canada’s resounding re-election to a second consecutive term. Building on the UNESCO agreement between the Québec and Canadian governments, Québec will continue to play an active role in the Committee’s initiatives and negotiations.

Forty-two Québec firms attend the largest international aerospace event The Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, is leading a trade mission with representatives from 42 Québec firms to the Paris Air Show Le Bourget from June 15 to 21. This year’s event celebrates its one hundredth anniversary. Some 2,000 exhibitors and around 400,000 visitors are expected to attend.

PASSAGES by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre wins Best Animation at the Brooklyn International Film Festival Sunday, June 14th 2009, at the closing night of the Brooklyn International Film Festival 12th edition, PASSAGES by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre won Best Animation of this 2009 edition. The cinematography of BORDELINE by Lyne Charlebois has also been appreciated. The director of photography, Steeve Asselin, has received a Certificate of Outstanding achievement for his work.

Conference of Montréal: “Adapting to a New World Order” Several internationally renowned figures from the world’s economic, political and social circles participated in the 15th Conference of Montréal held from June 8 to 11. The conference theme was “Adapting to a New World Order.” Premier Jean Charest presided over the opening luncheon attended by World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick, among others.

Québec-France agreement adopted by the National Assembly Québec’s National Assembly adopted a bill on June 9 implementing the Québec-France agreement on mutual recognition of professional qualifications, as well as other agreements of the same nature. The legislation reflects the commitments made in October 2008 by Premier Charest and President Sarkozy aimed at facilitating and expediting the granting of permits to practice a regulated profession or trade on both sides of the Atlantic.

Québec hydroelectricity: a long-term contribution to solving environmental challenges in the Northeast At a time when New York State is developing a new energy strategy, Québec's Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife Claude Béchard went to Albany on June 1 to promote hydroelectricity. Québec’s contribution in meeting the state’s goal of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and potential increase in exports of clean and renewable electricity were at the centre of the discussions.

Leaders’ Summit: strengthening North American cooperation Participating heads of government from Mexico, the US and Canada pledged to strengthen their cooperation and make North America more competitive at the conclusion of the fifth Leaders’ Summit on North American Relations, chaired by Premier Jean Charest in Québec City on June 3.

Québec hydroelectricity: a long-term contribution to solving environmental challenges in the Northeastern US At a time when New York State is developing a new energy strategy, Québec's Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife Claude Béchard went to Albany on June 1 to promote hydroelectricity. Québec’s contribution in meeting the state’s goal of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and potential increase in exports of clean and renewable electricity were at the centre of the discussions.

Seattle visits Montréal At the end of May, the City of Montréal welcomed a delegation from Seattle, led by Mayor Gregory Nickels, made up of about 70 representatives of the region’s economic, educational, cultural and institutional sectors. The purpose of the mission was to find out more about Montréal’s practices with respect to public transit, the cultural and entertainment industries and development of the information technology and aerospace sectors.

Toward a formal Québec–Moscow cooperative agreement At the end of the first part of its mission in Russia, the Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, was very enthusiastic about his reception by the Russian representatives he met and the possibilities for cooperation that were proposed.

Québec-France agreement: lawyers get the green light Premier Jean Charest attended the signing of a professional qualifications mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) between the Québec Bar and the National Bar Council of France. The signing took place at the Québec Bar’s annual convention on May 30. The new arrangement was reached in conjunction with the Québec-France Agreement signed in October, 2008, and seeks to provide greater mobility for lawyers between Québec and France.

New York: major promotion of Québec food products The Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, took part on May 28 in the launch of a major promotional campaign for Québec food products in New York, in collaboration with The Food Emporium, a well-known New York food chain.

On a Mission to New York: Minister Pierre Arcand Establishes Ties with Columbia University The Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, announces a partnership between Québec and the prestigious Columbia University.

In New York, Minister Arcand steps up his consultations in developing a new U.S. strategy On May 28 and 29, the Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, is carrying out a mission to New York City to hold discussions with key political players on various issues pertaining to trade, the environment, security and transportation. It is the Minister’s fourth mission to the U.S. and his second visit to New York State.

Québec’s International Policy: 2009-2014 Action Plan Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, released the 2009-2014 Action Plan adopted under Québec’s International Policy at a conference lunch hosted on May 25 by the Montréal Council on Foreign Relations (CORIM). In the words of Minister Arcand, “This Action Plan, which is the result of broad collaboration between government departments in various sectors, ensures synergy with respect to international efforts deployed by the government as a whole, and thus bolsters Québec’s capacity for influence and action abroad.”

Creation of a Québec world youth office: greater mobility abroad for young people The Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, is pleased that the National Assembly has passed the Act respecting the creation of the Office Québec-Monde pour la jeunesse. The office will be mandated to develop relations between young people in Québec and their counterparts in territories and countries not covered by one of the three existing youth offices: the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse, the Office Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles pour la jeunesse and the Office Québec-Amériques pour la jeunesse.

Robert Lepage's THE ANDERSEN PROJECT in Philadelphia From acclaimed Quebec writer-director Robert Lepage comes The Andersen Project, a boundary-pushing work freely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's stories "The Dryad" and "The Shadow," as well as anecdotes drawn from the famed Danish author's Parisian travels.

Pierre Arcand visits Chicago Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, will be meeting with key political and economic stakeholders in Chicago on May 14 and 15, in line with the Government of Québec's new US strategy, which is currently being developed. This will be Mr. Arcand’s third visit south of the border and his first to the state of Illinois, Québec’s seventh largest trading partner in the US.

Inter-American cooperation issues in the spotlight Only a few weeks after the conclusion of the fifth Summit of the Americas, key inter-American cooperation issues are back in the spotlight at the sixth International Summer School on the Americas, which will be held at Laval University from May 10-16. Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, spoke at the opening ceremony of the summer school, which is organized by the Inter-American Studies Center (ISC) in affiliation with the Institut québécois des hautes études internationales (HEI).