Statement made on 25 March 2011 by Senator Lucie Pépin (retired)
Hon. Lucie Pépin:
Honourable senators, yesterday was a big day for the city of La Tuque, Quebec, which is located in my senatorial designation of Shawinegan. The city, which was founded on March 24, 1911, turned 100 yesterday.
The people of La Tuque plan on celebrating this 100th anniversary with great fanfare. Throughout the year, a number of commemorative events and gatherings will be held. The highlights of the centennial anniversary will be the reunion days from June 21 to July 3.
The city's centennial slogan is "one hundred years and more to come," which reflects the ambition of the people of La Tuque to turn this centennial into a window of opportunity. The celebrations will help awaken the pride of the people of La Tuque. They will also be a unique opportunity to highlight the region's heritage, cultural assets and tourist attractions.
With an area of nearly 30,000 square kilometres, greater La Tuque has no shortage of nature. I urge honourable senators to take this opportunity to discover the great outdoors in this region, which is a real paradise for hunters and fishers. You will find yourselves amazed by the region's many assets, which lend themselves to both summer and winter activities.
A number of people have been working hard for years to make this centennial a huge success. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the entire organizing committee. I would also like to congratulate the Société historique de La Tuque et du Haut-Saint-Maurice for producing the wonderful historical publications La Tuque Un siècle d'histoire and La Tuque Histoires de familles. In addition, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Yves Vachon, who won the competition to compose a centennial song.
Honourable senators, I invite you to come celebrate with us in La Tuque and to discover this beautiful part of the country.