Mr. Speaker, during the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, Guy Laliberté, who was already a knight of the Ordre de La Pléiade, was raised to officer status. This order was created in 1976 to recognize distinguished figures who promote the Francophonie.
A specialist in contemporary circus arts, Guy Laliberté created Quebec's internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil. He reinvented the circus in a remarkable way by putting the entire spotlight on the performers, whose talents dazzle crowds around the world.
Guy Laliberté has pushed the circus concept even further by making it a real circus of the people. The company helps to fund organizations in some 20 countries on 5 continents. Mr. Laliberté also created the international Cirque du Monde program to help troubled youth.
My Bloc Québécois colleagues and I are proud to congratulate Guy Laliberté on this honour.