Presentation

The Ministère des Relations internationales celebrated its 40th birthday in 2007.

In 1967, the Legislative Assembly of Québec, as the National Assembly was then called, unanimously adopted an act creating the Ministère des Affaires intergouvernementales, also known at the time as the “Intergovernmental Affairs Department.” The act clarified the role played up to this time by the Ministère des Affaires fédérales-provinciales (Department of Federal-Provincial Affairs) and expanded it to include Québec’s international relations.

In establishing this new government department, the members of the Legislative Assembly gave substance to one of the main tenets of Québec’s international involvement, namely the international extension of Québec’s areas of domestic jurisdiction. At the same time, the Legislative Assembly acknowledged the widely expressed need for more coherent, better coordinated international efforts.

The creation of a department responsible for international relations gave a decisive boost to the development of Québec’s international relations and its network of foreign offices — the envy of most other federated states around the world.

The Ministère des Relations internationales wishes to stress its partners’ precious support in preparing a series of documents on its institutional history, as well as their contributions to the activities surrounding its 40th anniversary.

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