Saint-Eustache, Quebec – Department of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Leo Housakos, Senator; the Honourable Yves Bolduc, Quebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports; and the Honourable Pierre Arcand, Quebec Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister responsible for the Northern Plan, and Minister responsible for the Lanaudière and Laurentides regions, today announced an investment of $10.5 million for the construction of a new professional training centre for the building trade in Saint-Eustache. Senator Housakos made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

This investment has been made possible through the cooperation of two school boards, one Francophone (Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles) and the other Anglophone (Sir Wilfrid Laurier). They will offer professional training programs in English and French on the same premises.

The centre will offer the following curriculum in French: carpentry and joinery, preparing and finishing concrete, architectural painting, plumbing and heating, as well as welding and fitting. In English, it will offer programs in preparing and finishing concrete, commercial and residential painting, plumbing and heating, and welding and fitting.

Quick Facts

• The new professional training centre will open in September 2016.
• The Government of Quebec is contributing $6.5 million to this project, while the Government of Canada is investing $4 million. The Government of Canada’s investment is part of the Canada-Quebec Agreement on Minority Language Education and Second Language Instruction 2009–2010 to 2013–2014.
• Part of the funding announced today is provided through the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013–2018: Education, Immigration, Communities.

Quotes

“This project was achieved through the remarkable cooperation of both an Anglophone and a Francophone school board, in order to help young English and French Canadians in obtaining employment opportunities in a field where labour is in high demand.”

—The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

“Our Government is committed to cooperating with Quebec in projects that support the vitality of the Anglophone minority. English and French are an integral part of our history, our identity and our future.”

—The Honourable Leo Housakos, Senator

“The project we are annnouncing today clearly shows that, through innovation, collaboration and great determination, we can not only meet market demands but also improve the range and accessibility of training programs.”

—The Honourable Yves Bolduc, Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports

“By sharing the same facilities, these two school boards have been able to align their respective interests in an innovative project that will benefit all students and contribute to the region’s economic vitality. They have paved the way for future projects.”

—The Honourable Pierre Arcand, Minister of Energy and National Resources, Minister responsible for the Northern Plan, and Minister responsible for the Lanaudière and Laurentides regions