Our Future: A Public Dialogue
Pour un Québec Lucide, one year later
"Everyone must ask what they can do, in their field and as a citizen, in order to give Quebec the momentum it needs to tackle the challenges of the future."
Pour un Québec Lucide
October 19, 2005
On October 19, 2005, 12 prominent voices from Quebec's political, business, media and academic domains published the manifesto Pour un Québec Lucide/For a Clear-eyed Vision of Québec. Signed by, among others, former Premier and Parti Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard, La Presse editor André Pratte, respected economists Robert Lacroix and Pierre Fortin and Oscar-winning film producer Denise Robert, the treatise delivered a call to sweeping economic, social and attitudinal change based on a pointed warning: "Our society and our standard of living are under imminent threat. We must act now or face a long, slow decline."
One year later, on October 19, 2006, McGill University, in partnership with the Human Capital Institute and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, will host Our Future: A Public Dialogue, a day-long assessment of the issues raised in Pour un Québec Lucide, and a re-engagement of the debate it unleashed. The conference will be held in historic Redpath Hall on the McGill campus.
"As a Quebec university, McGill is particularly pleased to play a leadership role in assembling a range of experts and leading thinkers from Quebec and elsewhere to exchange ideas and approaches at this event," said McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Heather Munroe-Blum.
Political Science professor and McGill Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi, who will moderate the conference, said, "We are confident that this dialogue will stimulate further debate throughout Quebec society on the urgent questions of our common destiny and the role each Quebecer can play in advancing the prospects we face together."
For his part, Allan Schweyer, President and Executive Director of the Human Capital Institute, said, "In the 21st century, economic success will be determined by the choices of talented workers and entrepreneurs, who will locate based on a society's creative outlets, tolerance, diversity, and the degree to which an economy is globally integrated. We look forward to discussing these issues as they impact Montreal and Quebec."
Our Future: A Public Dialogue will address four key themes: Demographics, Globalization, Education and Innovation. Former Premier Bouchard will deliver the closing address at 4:00 pm on the 19th.
Registration information:
Kathryn Waslen
514-843-4497
dialogue.public [at] mcgill.ca (Email)
On the Web:
www.mcgill.ca/dialogue
Video stream (archived)
