Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Québec, Jonatan Julien, Minister Responsible for Infrastructure and Minister Responsible for the Capitale-Nationale Region and Member of the National Assembly for Charlesbourg, and Joël Lightbound, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, in the presence of Sophie D'Amours, Rector of Université Laval, announced a joint investment of more than $41 million for the construction of the Carrefour international Brian-Mulroney and the main building of the Institut nordique du Québec (INQ) at Université Laval in Quebec City.
They also formalized the amendments to the Canada-Quebec Integrated Bilateral Agreement (IBA) under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), to carry out major infrastructure projects in Quebec.
Located on Université Laval's campus, the signature Pavilion of the Carrefour international Brian-Mulroney will house, among others, the École supérieure d'études internationales (ESEI). By training the next generation of francophone diplomats and foreign service officers, it will contribute to increase the presence of Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie on the international stage.
The Carrefour international Brian-Mulroney will include public community spaces that will allow the academic community and the wider community to come together in a pavilion that promotes research, teaching and knowledge sharing. The project will include two multi-purpose multimedia rooms, an event space that can host cultural events, approximately 20 meeting rooms, a training room and a laboratory to hold simulations of international organizations. Common spaces will also be built to mobilize citizens and expertise on today's major global challenges under one roof.
The Institut nordique du Québec will bring together Quebec and Canadian expertise in northern and arctic sciences.
Unique in Canada, the complex will include laboratories and a space specially designed for the preparation of research missions in the North. It will also house a multifunctional room, a broadcasting and creation room, as well as a space for events and exhibitions highlighting the aspirations of First Nations and the issues related to the North. The INQ will provide the academic community of Université Laval, the international Arctic and northern research community, northern communities including Indigenous peoples, as well as the entire population of Quebec City, with better access to high quality community and cultural infrastructure that promotes research and sustainable development.
The announcement of this funding will allow the project to take another important step towards the construction phase.
By investing in infrastructure, the Governments of Canada and Quebec are growing Canada's economy, increasing the resiliency of our communities and improving the lives of Quebecers and Canadians.
