On March 6 at Le Zénith in Paris, Béatrice Martin, better known as Cœur de Pirate, won three Victoire awards (for author, composer and singer) in the Best Original Song of the Year category, for her song Comme des enfants. The trophies are tangible confirmation of the young Québec singer-songwriter’s popularity in France, where her career has got off to a flying start.
Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, met with Kamal Nath, India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways, in Montréal on March 26. They discussed follow-up action stemming from the Premier’s mission to India in February, in addition to enhanced cooperation in areas such as research and innovation.
The Québec government office in Brussels (DGQB) welcomed a group of 14 students from Longueuil’s CEGEP Édouard-Montpetit, who were in the Belgian capital on a study trip. The young people were invited to take part in a series of activities built around the theme “Europe: Between Freedom and Belonging.”
On March 8, at the invitation of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Québec’s Delegate General in Brussels, Christos Sirros, described Québec’s position concerning the negotiation of a comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union.
The Mastersbeurs (graduate studies fair) was held in Utrecht on February 26 and 27. The fair is intended for students from the Netherlands who wish to carry on graduate-level studies (master’s or doctoral) abroad. The Délégation générale du Québec in Brussels and Université de Montréal took part in the fair at the invitation of the Embassy of Canada in Netherlands in The Hague. The University of Western Ontario and the University of Calgary were also represented.
Good news for the Canadian aerospace industry. Ottawa will provide the Canadian Space Agency with an additional $397 M over five years for the development of the next generation of radar remote sensing satellites.
The book fair is a yearly showcase for the world’s Francophone literature, and Québec makes it a point of honour to participate. Whether their works are published by Québec Édition, Écrivains de l’Outaouais or Éditions de la Bagnole, Québec authors come to Brussels to make their works known and to meet their readers at autograph sessions.
The Canadian cellphone market will soon be open to foreign companies. The government announced its intentions in this regard in the Throne Speech delivered on Wednesday in Ottawa.
As it launched its new business mentoring program, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce drew inspiration from the Québec model. It called on the services of Alain Aubut, a former Québec business executive who has become a mentor and the vice president of the Réseau francophone du Mentorat d’affaires (Francophone business mentoring network).
Under an agreement signed in Montréal by the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) and the All Japan Chefs Association (AJCA), apprentice chefs from Québec will be able to take part in internships in Japan and their Japanese counterparts will have a chance to participate in internships in Québec.
At a meeting in Québec City on February 25, Premier Jean Charest and Stanislaw Tillich, Minister-President of the German state of Saxony, agreed to step up bilateral exchanges, particularly in the economic and cultural spheres. Their meeting marked the 20th anniversary of official relations between Québec and Saxony.