Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, September 29, Joliette's oldest educational institution will celebrate its 150th anniversary.
In 1846, Barthélemy Joliette, the founder of the city, established the Collège Joliette, which later became the Séminaire de Joliette, then the Académie Antoine-Manseau, and now the Cégep Joliette-de-Lanaudière. Headed by the Clercs de Saint-Viateur, with the support of secular priests and lay persons, this institution has always offered top quality education and training, and boasts among its former students the current Prime Minister of Canada and member for Shawinigan, and the deputy premier of Quebec, Jean-Bernard Landry.
Today, I have the great privilege of paying tribute to my former alma mater. The dedication, perseverance and generosity of its builders contributed significantly to the enrichment of our country and to the development of Quebecers.