A meeting was held at Forillon National Park to celebrate the award and honour Marie-Laure Rochefort, the first president of the Association of Persons Expropriated from Forillon and their Descendants    

September 19, 2024                        Gaspé, Quebec                            Parks Canada

A group consisting of seventeen people, including descendants of expropriated families and members of the Parks Canada team, met at Forillon National Park today to celebrate an award earned through the Parks Canada 2024 CEO Awards of Excellence. This occasion also served as an opportunity to honour Marie-Laure Rochefort, a key figure in this achievement.

The group stood out in the “Spirit of Collaboration” category, with three of its members receiving the Award of Excellence from Ron Hallman, President and CEO of Parks Canada, on behalf of the group, at a ceremony held on June 7 in Gatineau. This honour, which highlights the creation of a lasting relationship between Forillon’s expropriated people and Parks Canada, recognizes the development of a constructive collaboration that facilitates the storytelling and commemoration of the expropriated people. Since most of the recipients were unable to travel to Gatineau in June, it was important for them to come together in Gaspé to celebrate this prestigious award.

The collaboration between Forillon’s expropriated persons and Parks Canada, along with their shared achievements, is largely the result of the dedication of Marie-Laure Rochefort, one of the 17 recipients and the first president of the Association of Persons Expropriated from Forillon and their Descendants. Since the beginning, Ms. Rochefort has been a strong advocate of the values that lie at the heart of the Association’s mandate: recognition, respect, and, above all, the “Duty to Remember.”

In recognition of this exceptional contribution, Parks Canada announced today that $25,000 will be donated to the Association of Persons Expropriated from Forillon and their descendants to support projects aimed at commemorating those who were expropriated so their stories can be documented, told, and inscribed in the collective memory. Despite the challenging histories, the openness and mutual respect demonstrated by the architects of this relationship allow us to approach the future with optimism.

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