Seven laureates receive the Quebec Medal of Honor

Professor Micheline Dumont, athletes Marie-Philip Poulin and Claude Raymond as well as members of the group Les Cowboys Fringants gathered Monday evening in Quebec City to receive the Medal of Honor from the National Assembly.

This distinction “is awarded to personalities from different walks of life who, through their actions, their values, their careers and their commitment, deserve the recognition of the members of the National Assembly and of Quebec society”, indicated the National Assembly in a statement.

Micheline Dumont is a pioneer in the history of women in Quebec. In forty years, she has published around ten books, almost 200 articles and has participated in around forty collective works, including The history of Quebec women for four centuries The President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy, thanked the historian “for the awareness that her work has generated”.

Canadian women’s hockey team captain Marie-Phillip Poulin has won three gold and one silver at various Olympic Games, in addition to three gold, seven silver and one bronze at Women’s World Championship. “You have shown great determination in pursuing your Olympic dream” and breaking into a traditionally male sport, greeted M^me Roy.

Baseball player Claude Raymond has been inducted into the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame and the Expos Hall of Fame. He created the Claude-Raymond Fund, which offers financial assistance to young people and organizations to promote the practice of sports. He also became a sports commentator and then an Expos instructor. M^me Roy cited “the inspiring example” he represents for “young athletes”.

Marie-Annick Lépine, Jérôme Dupras, Jean-François Pauzé and Karl Tremblay form the music group Les Cowboys fringants, author of hits such as Shooting Stars, Nothing And Heads up. During its career, the group has won 17 Félix awards and sold more than two million albums within the Francophonie. The group “left a deep and lasting imprint on our musical history”, underlined M^me Roy, also recalling his dedication to the environmental cause.