Le Pays de la Sagouine to Enhance Visitor Experience
News Release
La Sagouine, the legendary Acadian figurehead and most celebrated character in the fishing village inspired by international award winning novelist Antonine Maillet, will be treasured for years to come thanks to investments from the federal and provincial governments.
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Member of Parliament for Beauséjour, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and Benoît Bourque, MLA for Kent South on behalf of the Honourable Donald Arseneault, Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, joined Le Pays de la Sagouine officials to make the announcement today.
The Government of Canada is investing $597,638 to enable the organization to modernize its product offerings generally through digitization of its productions as well as through infrastructure improvements.
Comedian Viola Léger has been an integral part of Le Pays de la Sagouine’s success, playing the longstanding role of La Sagouine for more than 40 years now. The first project, to digitize productions of the actress performing her famous monologues, will enable the icon to be projected in future theatre pieces and on giant screens, as well as be incorporated in videos, on the web, and on the organization’s tourist site long after she retires.
A second project is also being funded to support infrastructure improvements to ensure safe operations, enhancing the overall visitor experience.
The federal government is investing non-repayable contributions of $275,000 through ACOA’s Business Development Program, $207,900 through ACOA’s Innovative Communities Fund and $114,738 through the Development of Official-Languages Communities Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage towards the projects, while the Province of New Brunswick is providing $100,000, through the Regional Development Corporation.
Quotes:
“Our Government is proud to support a project that will give more Francophones and Francophiles access to the enduring story of La Sagouine, a symbol of the rich Acadian culture and literature. Le Pays de la Sagouine promotes Acadian culture and language through the performing arts, thus contributing to the vitality of this official-language minority community.”
- The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage
“Le Pays de la Sagouine is among the top tourist attractions in New Brunswick and is a source of pride for Acadians everywhere, especially here in Bouctouche. The Government of Canada is pleased to support these projects to enable Le Pays de la Sagouine to continue to play an important role as it helps to strengthen the tourism sector while increasing economic opportunities for the region.”
- The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Member of Parliament for Beauséjour
“Our government is proud to invest in this most important project about the story of La Sagouine. Le Pays de la Sagouine is a key cultural and tourism icon in this region and one of the crown jewels of New Brunswick’s tourism industry.”
- Benoit Bourque, MLA for Kent South, on behalf of Honourable Donald Arseneault, Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation
“It has been 40 years since Viola Léger first took the stage to play the role of La Sagouine. She definitely could not have imagined that this character would completely disrupt her life and become the hero of an entire population! Today, with the help of the federal and provincial governments, we will forever immortalize our beloved Sagouine through the Sagouine 4k project. Some magnificent theatrical and cinematographic works will come out of this forward-thinking project, for which we are very grateful.”
- Luc LeBlanc, Acting Director General, Le Pays de la Sagouine
Associated Links:
• www.acoa-apeca.gc.ca
• http://www.sagouine.com/en/
Contacts:
Lisa Gautreau
Acting Senior Communications Officer
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
506-471-1565
Bruce MacFarlane
Communications
Government of New Brunswick
506-444-4583
Luc LeBlanc
Acting Director General
Le Pays de la Sagouine
506-743-1400
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