NB 310
April 12, 2000
FREDERICTON (CNB.) -- The governments of New Brunswick and Quebec marked the 30th anniversary today in Fredericton of An Agreement for Cooperation and Exchange between Quebec and New Brunswick.
"Since 1969, the sectors of cooperation between the two provinces have broadened considerably in scope and now include such fields as social and scientific research and the exchange of artists and young academics", Premier Bernard Lord said. "I am thrilled that the development of this cooperation is ongoing and that it enables the two provinces to work together."
Premier Lord is also responsible for the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs.
The agreement, signed on Dec.18, 1969 by former premiers Louis J. Robichaud and Jean-Jacques Bertrand, was designed to promote the development of links between the organizations and institutions in the two provinces and the accomplishment of joint projects in various sectors. Activities under the aegis of the Agreement for Cooperation and Exchange in Matters of Education, Culture and? Communications" are coordinated by the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs in New Brunswick and the Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat in Quebec.
"Since it was signed, the agreement has generated a considerable number of joint projects and reflects a desire by New Brunswick and Quebec to exchange ideas on their respective realities and areas of expertise," said Food Production Minister Paul Robichaud, the minister responsible for the Francophonie.
Quebec Deputy Government House Leader André Boulerice, who represented Joseph Facal, the Quebec minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, commented on the importance of the ties binding the two societies: "Our relations are richer and more important than they would appear at first glance. Of course, the governments have an important influence, but I am pleased to note the existence of all these parallel networks that are very often the result of initiatives by dynamic, open individuals who have a positive vision of the future."
The celebrations also provided an opportunity for the two governments to announce a new initiative for youth. Gilles Bail, Quebec minister of state for Health, Social Services and Youth, said: "I am very pleased to join with the New Brunswick Minister of Health and Community Services Dennis Furlong, in stating that our two governments are willing to work together to deal with the problem of social distress among youth. Young people faced with this type of situation are often overwhelmed by loneliness, and we want to help them break through their isolation, and combat the many problems that arise from it."
In order to do so, the two ministers announced the establishment of a joint committee of government representatives, whose mandate includes the various problems experienced by young people in Quebec and New Brunswick. The committee will concentrate especially on the problems of drug addiction, alcoholism, psychological distress, and itinerancy.
The event was also commemorated by the launching of a book on relations between the two societies. Les relations entre le Québec et l'Acadie, de la tradition à la modernité is the result of a collaboration between Les Éditions d'Acadie and Les Éditions de l'IQRC (Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture)(Quebec institute for research on culture). Produced by Gérard Beaulieu, a professor in the Department of History and Geography, Université de Moncton, and Fernand Harvey, a professor at the INRS-Culture et Société (Université du Québec), the book received a grant under the cultural exchange program between the two provinces.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: Isabelle Légaré, Project Executive, N.B., Department of Intergovernmental Affairs, (506) 453-4106; Fax: (506) 453-2995; isabelle.legare@gnb.ca; Jacques Lévesque, Adviser, Intergovernmental Affairs, Executive Council of Quebec, (418) 644-1693; Fax: (418) 646-5420; jacques.levesque@gouv.qc.ca
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