Québec’s Government Office in Barcelona celebrates its 10th anniversary and announces four innovative new projects with Catalonia Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, celebrated the 10th anniversary of Québec’s Government Office in Barcelona at a reception held during his official visit to Spain. The event was attended by a number of political figures from Catalonia and Québec, including Yvon Vallières, Speaker of the National Assembly, who headed a delegation of Québec lawmakers.

Québec City hosts francophone ombudsman convention Mediators and ombudsmen from 25 francophone countries converged on Québec City from September 7 to 9. Some 75 officials took part in the sixth convention of the Association des ombudsman et médiateurs de la Francophonie (AOMF), held around the theme “Mediators, politics and justice: Toward equitable access to rights.”

150th anniversary of the Consulate General of France in Québec City On September 8, political figures, historians and observers of France-Québec relations took part in the Symposium on the 150th anniversary of the Consulate General of France in Québec City. The event made it possible to mark the milestones of France-Québec relations since the institution of the French diplomatic post in Québec City in 1859 and determine new prospects for this fruitful collaboration.

Québec celebrates 10 years of presence in Berlin This year, the Québec Government Office in Berlin is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In fact, it was a Cultural Agency that the Québec government first opened in the German capital in 1999. This Agency later became an Office reporting to the Québec Government Office in Munich. Since then, Québec’s representation in Berlin has continued to promote Québec in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Minister Arcand in Spain: commercial and cultural activities on the program During a mission to Madrid, Barcelona and Tàrrega starting on September 7, the Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Pierre Arcand, will meet with no less than 15 high-profile political figures and participate in industrial and cultural tours. This mission was specifically planned as part of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Québec Government Office in Barcelona.

International French teacher training in Québec The 30th edition of the Québec Language, Culture and Society Internship was a resounding success. Over the years, this three-week program, established and funded by the Ministère des Relations internationales (MRI), has been attended by scores of French teachers from around the world. This summer, 73 people took language and teacher training courses aimed at expanding their knowledge of Québec language, culture and society.

SPECQUE 2009 : a major success in Berlin and Dresden More than 130 university students from Québec, other Canadian provinces and several European countries took part in the 12th European Parliamentary Simulation/Canada-Québec-Europe (SPECQUE). For the first time, the sessions were held in the German cities of Berlin (August 10-12) and Dresden, the capital of Saxony (August 12-14).

Minister Arcand speaks on renewable energy at TransAmerica Conference Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, took part in workshops on energy and climate change held during the 25th TransAmerica Conference on Canadian-American relations, organized by the Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange. Held in Ottawa, the conference was attended by Canadian parliamentarians and government ministers, members of the diplomatic corps, academics and members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Two Québec authors vie for La Francophonie’s Prix des cinq continents The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) recently unveiled the names of the 10 finalists for the eighth edition of its Prix des cinq continents [Prize of the Five Continents]. The finalists include two Québec authors: Jean Barbe, nominated for Le Travail de l'huître [The Work of the Oyster], and Catherine Mavrikakis, nominated for Le Ciel de Bay City [The Sky of Bay City]. A total of 93 works were eligible.

Georgia studies Québec’s healthcare approach In early July, Dr. Rhonda Medows, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health, visited Montréal and Québec City to familiarize herself with the provincial healthcare system. At a meeting with Yves Bolduc, Minister of Health and Social Services, discussions focused on the similarities and differences between Québec’s and Georgia’s systems and on bilateral public health challenges.

Alfa Rococo to perform at francophone music festivals in Europe As part of a four-show European tour, Alfa Rococo will perform on July 11 at Les Francofolies in La Rochelle, France, and on July 20 at Les Francofolies in Spa, Belgium.

Yvon Vallières to head the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly The President of Québec’s National Assembly, Yvon Vallières, was elected President of the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly (Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie or APF in French) at the 35th session of the organization held in Paris on July 6.

Jean-Pierre Kelche and Chantal Moreno awarded Québec’s Ordre national On July 2, Québec Premier Jean Charest presented Jean-Pierre Kelche, grand chancellor of the Légion d’honneur, with the insignia of the grand officer of the Ordre national du Québec. Chantal Moreno, advisor to the secretary general of the International Francophone Organization (OIF), His Excellency Abdou Diouf, was presented with the insignia of the knight of the Ordre. The ceremony was held at Québec Government Office in Paris.

Hélène Dorion receives Charles-Vildrac prize Poet Hélène Dorion has been awarded the Charles-Vildrac prize for her collection of poems Le hublot des heures, published by Éditions La Différence. She is the first Quebecer to be singled out for this honour by the Société des gens de lettres de France (SGDLF).

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.

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.

First edition of LOJIQ awards Twelve international youth mobility projects were singled out for honours on May 27 in the National Assembly, during the first-ever LOJIQ awards ceremony. Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, presented the top prize.

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.

University of Québec at Chicoutimi receives 2009 Hector Fabre award On behalf of Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie, Maryse Gaudreault, the Minister’s parliamentary assistant and member of the National Assembly for Hull, presented the 2009 Hector Fabre award to the University of Québec at Chicoutimi (UQAC) for a project involving the international provision of university programs. The award, which includes a $25,000 cash prize, was presented on May 15 during the meeting of the Union of Québec Municipalities (UMQ) in Gatineau.

World Anti-Doping Agency to stay in Montréal until 2021 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.