Visit to the Gaspé Peninsula - July 13, 2018

The Birthplace of Canada Historic Site recreates the heart of the village of Gaspé as it was in the 1900s. Visitors can take a stroll and visit the heritage home, where they can enjoy tea and cookies, the seaplane base, the semaphore, the warehouse, the naval base, the general store and the gift shop.

The visit to the Gaspé Peninsula came to an end with a meet-and­-greet organized by the Town of Gaspé at the Birthplace of Canada Historic Site. Mayor of Gaspé, Daniel Côté, and Chief Manon Jeannotte made brief remarks.

The Governor General thanked the people of the Gaspé Peninsula for their warm welcome.

During the event, the Governor General reunited Alan Côté, President and Director of the Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée, with his CD which went into space aboard mission STS-127 in 2009.

For her last day in the Gaspé Peninsula, on July 13, 2018, the Governor General invited people to enjoy a one-hour hike through the Penouille sector of beautiful Forillon National Park.

As with other Canadian national parks, Forillon National Park strives to protect and showcase the natural and cultural heritage of its territory.

Forillon Park covers a total of 244.8 km2, including a marine band a little over 150 m wide (4.4 km2). The Penouille sand spit shelters a taiga, whose presence, at such a low altitude, is unusual.

Many families enjoyed the event in Gaspé.

On the occasion of her visits across the country, the Governor General will invite the population to join her and be active: walking, biking, skating, canoeing... The activities promoted through GGActive will be varied!

Participants of all ages joined the Governor General.

Members of the public had the opportunity to talk to the Governor General while walking in beautiful surroundings.

Governor General Julie Payette took this opportunity to launch the initiative GGActive to encourage Canadians to get moving and stay active.

The event was enjoyed by all.

The crowd danced to the catchy beats of Kilombo, a Gaspesian collective of festive percussionists brought together by a passion for the rhythms of the world. The Governor General was happy to join them.

Her Excellency visited the Micmac Interpretation Site of Gespeg. This interpretation site showcases the Mi’kmaq culture of Gaspé’s Indigenous community through interpretive activities.

This site promotes the preservation of Mi'kmaq traditions as well as their deep knowledge of their environment and highlights the wisdom they have acquired over time.

Manon Jeannotte, Chief of Gespeg, and Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie-Les-Iles-de-la-Madeleine, accompanied Her Excellency.

Highlighting the community's history from 1675 to the present day, the Micmac Interpretation Site in Gespeg includes a reproduction of a camp and offers interpretive activities that allow visitors to discover the world of Micmacs in every season.