QUÉBEC CITY, March 16, 2008 - The historical contributions of Québec City's English-speaking minority communities will be highlighted to the public through a series of projects organized for Québec City's 400th anniversary, thanks in part to an investment by the Government of Canada.
On behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, Luc Harvey, Member of Parliament (Louis-Hébert), today announced funding for the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (LHSQ) during the Centennial Tea on the Plains of Abraham. This event is part of the official activities for the 400th anniversary of Québec City and the 100th anniversary of the National Battlefields Commission.
Funding of $57,544 will allow the organization to coordinate, with other English- and French-speaking community organizations in the Québec City region, a series of projects with the theme "Voices from the Crossroads / À la croisée des voix." These projects include self-guided historical tours, lectures and workshops on cultural diversity, the Québec City Celtic Festival, and the Centennial Tea. This last activity is open to the public and celebrates the British tradition of tea time.
"Thanks to activities highlighting Québec City's 400th anniversary, Canadians will have an opportunity to discover the history and the vitality of English-speaking communities in Québec City all year long. Celebrating Québec City also means celebrating Canada and Canadians." said Minister Verner.
"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec on its dynamic programming, which highlights the contributions of English-speaking communities to the development and promotion of Québec City," said Mr. Harvey.
Founded in 1824, the LHSQ was the first learned society in Canada. Its mandate includes the management of the Morrin College building, a national historic monument that houses the Society's library and archives. Over the years, it has become the driving force behind the Morrin Centre project, a cultural centre whose mission is to support the culture of English-speaking communities in Québec City, to share this culture with the public, and to encourage cultural exchanges between all English- and French-speaking communities.
The Government of Canada has provided this funding under the Community Life component of the Development of Official Language Communities Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program aims to enable the federal government to work with partners to offer minority official-language communities access to services in their own language, as well as the infrastructure necessary to ensure their growth and development.
Québec City's 400th anniversary is a historic event for Canada and for North America. It is from this date that we truly started to become what we are today. The Government of Canada is proud to contribute $110 million to the celebration and to partner in the organization of this event, because the founding of Québec also marks the founding of Canada.
For more information on the 400th anniversary of Québec City, visit the Government of Canada's website on this historic event at www.quebec400.gc.ca
Information:
Dominic Gosselin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages
819 997-7788
Marie-Claude Cadorette
Regional Manager
Communications
Quebec Region
Canadian Heritage
514 283-4027
