CHICOUTIMI, QC, Jan. 24, 2013 /CNW/ - On behalf of the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, today announced the Government of Canada's 2012-2013 contribution to the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie.
"Our Government is proud to support the efforts of organizations in the not-for-profit sector, such as the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, which promote awareness of the benefits of sport participation and physical activity in Canada," said Minister Lebel. "I invite Canadians to participate in the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie and take advantage of all that sport and physical fitness have to offer."
"As we committed to do in Economic Action Plan 2012, our Government is proud to continue its support to the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie," said Minister of State Gosal. "We are intent on providing opportunities for Canadians of all ages and all abilities to engage in sport and physical activity, because we know that embracing the power of sport leads to active lifestyles and healthier, stronger communities."
"I thank the Government of Canada for supporting the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie. Your support allows us to expand into other Canadian provinces in order to encourage young people to adopt healthy lifestyles by giving them the opportunity to be more active, eat better, and like school," said Pierre Lavoie, Co-founder of the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie. "The expansion has already started, because this year, the Véhicube is travelling in Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. We need mobilizing projects, and your support allows us to have even larger dreams."
The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie is a non-profit organization with the mission of encouraging young people to adopt healthy life habits. The organization engages schools in supporting physical activity and healthy eating among children aged 6 to 12. Its purpose is to encourage children to choose healthier habits in their everyday life so that these habits may become the norm for future generations. It also seeks to raise parents' awareness of the importance of physical activity and healthy eating for their own health as well as their children's. To reach this objective, the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie launched the largest health-related event ever organized in Quebec, which kicked off in November 2008.
The Government of Canada is the largest single contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to podium. The Government of Canada, through Sport Canada's Sport Support Program, is providing almost $500,000 to the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie to expand its current efforts into additional provinces beyond Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia.
SOURCE: Canadian Heritage
(Media only), please contact:
Robert Lynch
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Bal Gosal, P.C., M.P.
Minister of State (Sport)
819-934-1122
[email protected]
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
[email protected]
(This news release is available on the Internet at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Newsroom.)
Share this article