(New Richmond) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued his summer political tour Thursday with a trip to the Gaspé Peninsula, where he visited strawberry and rhubarb fields and visited two industrial facilities.
Posted at 5:46 p.m.
Mr. Trudeau traveled to the Gaspé as part of the tour he began in July of other parts of Canada. A light rain fell while the Prime Minister was walking in a field where strawberries and rhubarb grow at Ferme Bourdages, in Saint-Siméon. He then toured the farm’s retail market and winery facility.
The Premier was guided by owners Pierre and Jean-François Bourdages. He was also accompanied by Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and MNA for the region.
Justin Trudeau’s previous visit to the Gaspé dates back to July 2021, a month before the last federal election was called.
And his visit on Thursday comes a few weeks before an election campaign in Quebec where the future of French will certainly play an important role.
On Wednesday, new census data revealed that Gaspésie is the only region in Quebec where the proportion of people who say they have French as their mother tongue has increased over the past five years.
The most recent census data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada show that the decline of French continues in Quebec and Canada.
From 2016 to 2021, the percentage of Quebecers speaking French at home rose from 79% to 77.5%.
Mme Lebouthillier said that this particularity with regard to French in the Gaspésie region is probably an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The more rural regions of Quebec have seen significant migration within the province, with Quebecers seeking to leave the cities and settle in quieter parts of the province. According to her, more people have moved to the Gaspé — especially French speakers.
She said the region is also losing its young Anglophones to other parts of the country, such as Ontario, a population transfer that she says increases the proportion of Francophones in the region.
Mr. Trudeau spent the afternoon touring two industrial facilities in New Richmond. His first stop was at the headquarters of Fabrication Delta, a company that manufactures wind turbine towers and other large steel structures. Mr. Trudeau and company owner Eli Arsenault stopped to speak with staff who were cutting and welding large pieces of heavy steel.
Nearby, the Prime Minister visited Rail GD, a company that repairs and refurbishes railcars. He observed work being done on two VIA Rail cars. He stopped at various workstations and then posed for a group photo with workers.