REMARKS BY PRIME MINISTER JEAN CHRÉTIEN AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF AN EXHIBIT

June 19, 2003
Shawinigan, Quebec

It is my great pleasure as Prime Minister of Canada and as the Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice to be here with you today at the official launch of this major international exhibit, The Body Transformed. I think it is fair to say that here at the Cité de l'énergie, we are witnessing a great moment of artistic energy.

Shawinigan, as you know, is my hometown so it is very exciting for me to see the transformation of the buildings that have become La Cité de l'énergie. And now they are the new home to some of the world's finest sculptures that celebrate the human body in all its forms.

This exhibit is part of an effort to bring the works of the National Gallery of Canada to more Canadians. It is part of an effort to expand the reach of the National Gallery so that more Canadians can enjoy the treasures that are housed there without having to make the journey to the Ottawa area. I congratulate the organizers for this great collaboration between the National Gallery of Canada and La Cité de l'énergie on their fruitful and very successful partnership.

This innovative exhibition is a chance for residents and visitors to Shawinigan to view works from sculptors different countries of the world – and from different periods as well; from the early twentieth century – an exciting and transformative time for art – to more recent times.

Visitors will experience the work of better known artists like Rodin and Picasso and will learn to appreciate, perhaps for the first time, the work of creative minds from our era.

This exhibit is especially exciting for those of us from Shawinigan who see the transformation of these old industrial buildings into top flight venues for the best of the world's art. These beautiful buildings are a testament to an exciting time in our country's history and have now been designated a heritage site. As the oldest industrial complex in North America, these windows, these ceilings, and walls, each brick and beam, all tell a story of the rich industrial and scientific heritage of Shawinigan.

For generations, people in Shawinigan earned their living here making aluminium unaware that they were part of an industrial revolution – that they were transforming Canada's society, and the way we lived. They oversaw part of Canada's transition from a predominantly rural, agrarian society to an industrial, urban one. And now, in this building today, with such an impressive marriage of industry and art, we see how innovation has become the hallmark of the 21st century.

We see in this building and in this exhibition the integration of art with the economic history of this region. It is a building and an exhibition that puts Shawinigan on the map. With the city of Shawinigan on one side and the bay of the St. Maurice river on the other, people wanting to view the artistic treasures of the world will find an ideal place to enjoy them. This, of course, makes me very proud. It also fits in perfectly with the direction we have been taking over the years to develop tourism in the region. This is a direction I believe in, a direction I have supported, and a direction that promises many other successful ventures such as this one.Thank you to all for this fine effort to showcase these works of art and to further enhance the quality of life of this community.

Thank you very much.

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