"For all French Canadians, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day has long been a special time to celebrate our identity and heritage. It is also an occasion to reaffirm the ties of friendship and solidarity that unite us from coast to coast. Over the years, it has also become a holiday for all Quebecers.

This year, we are celebrating the arrival, in the early 1600s, of the men and women who established the first French settlement in North America, in what became Acadia. Today, nearly 400 years after they came ashore, we can admire with pride and emotion the great Francophone family that they helped create in Canada. A Francophonie moulded by the traditions and culture of our forebears, but that continues to be enriched every day by newcomers from all corners of the globe.

Aline joins me in wishing everyone a very happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day."