Mr. Speaker, last weekend, members of the Fédération des femmes du Québec elected Vivian Barbot their new president.
Born in Haiti and a teacher at the Cegep in Victoriaville, Ms Barbot was head of the Fédération des enseignantes et enseignants de cégeps of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, and has been a member of the intercultural relations committee of the Ligue des droits et libertés. She is also known for her public stands on the rights of immigrants and the defence of the French language.
She succeeds Françoise David, to whom we are indebted for the bread and roses march in 1995 and the World March of Women in October 2000.
The Bloc Quebecois thanks Ms. David for her energetic defence of the interests of women in Quebec, and congratulates the new president, Ms. Barbot. We offer Ms. Barbot our co-operation and wish her a most productive mandate serving the interests of the women of Quebec.