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This article is meant to be a contribution to the history of Québec's cultural policies. We analyse the role played by Pierre Laporte during his brief tenure as Minister of Cultural Affairs from 1964 to 1966. His long career as a journalist for the daily Le Devoir forged an analyst with neo-nationalist tendencies forever seeking to strengthen Québec's autonomy within the Canadian Confederation. Elected for the Liberal Party in 1961 and given the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in the Lesage government the following year, he also took on the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in September 1964. During his short term of office, he completed the organization of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs started by his predecessor, Georges-Émile Lapalme. Furthermore, Laporte invited various collaborators to assist him in defining a long-term cultural policy for Québec in the form of a White Paper. The paper contained a series of postulates, an appraisal of the situation in several cultural sectors and over 60 recommendations one of which was to make French the priority language for Québec. The White Paper was, however, never published. Nonetheless, it inspired several people involved in the elaboration of cultural policies in the Québec of the 1970s.

By its decision dated December 1925, the League of Nations had decided to annex definitively the area occupied by the Kurds to the then newly created state of ‘Iraq', a creation of the United Kingdom, but under some administrative particularities. However, the implementation of resolution 688 (1991) of the UN Security Council and the military and administrative withdrawal of the Iraqi State from the Kurd area caused the creation of a de facto independent Iraqi Kurdistan. Towards a legitimate administration of the area, the Kurds were forced to provide a legal basis for their status. In doing so, the Kurds self-proclaimed themselves a federated region in 1992. This entity sui generis received no recognition from the Central Government located in Baghdad, although the area pursued its self-governance, until its American/English occupation in the spring of 2003. Two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, the Constitution of the 15th of October 2005 recognised the self-proclaimed Kurdish federated area. This new Iraqi federalism raises a certain number of uncertainties and difficulties concerning, in particular, the present and future status of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Research Framework: The aging of the population, unprecedented in human history, is a complex reality of the 21st century. This complexity is rooted not only in social and biological, but also in quantitative phenomena. Population aging is in the strict sense a structural effect, an increase in the proportion of the elderly in a given population, while the increase in aged persons is an effect of flux, which quantifies the increase in the number of seniors, those 65 years of age or older (Dumont, 2018a). Although its four main causes (increased life expectancy, decreased number of births, migration, demographic changes) are unanimously accepted by researchers; the manifestations, consequences and responses to aging are far from homogeneous (Breton et Temporal, 2019; Blanchet, 2013; Dumont, 2006; Simard, 2010). Indeed, the consequences of aging differ from one region to another, forcing us to understand population issues in targeted and specific ways, socially, economically and geopolitically (Dumont, 2016a, 2018b; Saillant, 2016; Gucher, 2012; Hodge, 2008). All of society's institutions are affected by the challenges of an aging population: policies, employment, work, health, family, social security, regional management and development, and even democratic functioning. These diverse issues influence both seniors' quality of life (Rican et al., 2013) and collaborative and regional governance. Objectives: To identify the main issues and challenges associated with population aging in improving the social inclusion and quality of life of seniors. These issues and challenges relate to seniors' income, accessibility of and proximity to local services, equipment and infrastructure, elder care and workforce planning. Methodology: This article draws on the different contributions in this thematic issue and on the expertise of the three authors. In addition, based on a literature review, we advocate a content analysis, which will be combined with empirical data found mainly, but not exclusively, in various Statistics Canada documents. Results: Most of these issues and challenges originate at the grassroots level, local or regional. However, their implementation requires energetic top-down action, as local and regional leaders, despite their good intentions, do not have all of the required tools and means to address them. Conclusions: A regional policy on aging must be implemented that considers the local and regional characteristics of the environment concerned and the needs expressed by seniors and their families. Thus, environments must be created that are conducive to improving the quality of life and vitality of both the elderly and those around them. In addition, cross-functional gerontological actions must be initiated that involve partnering with both endogenous and exogenous stakeholders, and that consider the regional diversity of aging. The objective is to ensure that people remain active in society as they age – a prerequisite for preserving their health. Contribution: From an academic viewpoint, our presentation, like that of other authors in this issue, is based on three closely interrelated endogenous models. These are capacity building and empowerment of stakeholders, collaborative governance, and progressive local development. Although these different models are effective channels for stimulating local initiatives, and in particular social innovations that bring about social change, they do not address the multiple challenges associated with active and healthy aging, which require cross-functional interventions rolled out at the regional level.

Keywords: vieillissement, aînés, capacités, acteurs, qualité de vie, aging, seniors, capacity, stakeholders, quality of life

Research Framework: The aging of the population, unprecedented in human history, is a complex reality of the 21st century. This complexity is rooted not only in social and biological, but also in quantitative phenomena. Population aging is in the strict sense a structural effect, an increase in the proportion of the elderly in a given population, while the increase in aged persons is an effect of flux, which quantifies the increase in the number of seniors, those 65 years of age or older (Dumont, 2018a). Although its four main causes (increased life expectancy, decreased number of births, migration, demographic changes) are unanimously accepted by researchers; the manifestations, consequences and responses to aging are far from homogeneous (Breton et Temporal, 2019; Blanchet, 2013; Dumont, 2006; Simard, 2010). Indeed, the consequences of aging differ from one region to another, forcing us to understand population issues in targeted and specific ways, socially, economically and geopolitically (Dumont, 2016a, 2018b; Saillant, 2016; Gucher, 2012; Hodge, 2008). All of society's institutions are affected by the challenges of an aging population: policies, employment, work, health, family, social security, regional management and development, and even democratic functioning. These diverse issues influence both seniors' quality of life (Rican et al., 2013) and collaborative and regional governance. Objectives: To identify the main issues and challenges associated with population aging in improving the social inclusion and quality of life of seniors. These issues and challenges relate to seniors' income, accessibility of and proximity to local services, equipment and infrastructure, elder care and workforce planning.Methodology: This article draws on the different contributions in this thematic issue and on the expertise of the three authors. In addition, based on a literature review, we advocate a content analysis, which will be combined with empirical data found mainly, but not exclusively, in various Statistics Canada documents.Results: Most of these issues and challenges originate at the grassroots level, local or regional. However, their implementation requires energetic top-down action, as local and regional leaders, despite their good intentions, do not have all of the required tools and means to address them.Conclusions: A regional policy on aging must be implemented that considers the local and regional characteristics of the environment concerned and the needs expressed by seniors and their families. Thus, environments must be created that are conducive to improving the quality of life and vitality of both the elderly and those around them. In addition, cross-functional gerontological actions must be initiated that involve partnering with both endogenous and exogenous stakeholders, and that consider the regional diversity of aging. The objective is to ensure that people remain active in society as they age – a prerequisite for preserving their health.Contribution: From an academic viewpoint, our presentation, like that of other authors in this issue, is based on three closely interrelated endogenous models. These are capacity building and empowerment of stakeholders, collaborative governance, and progressive local development. Although these different models are effective channels for stimulating local initiatives, and in particular social innovations that bring about social change, they do not address the multiple challenges associated with active and healthy aging, which require cross-functional interventions rolled out at the regional level.

Keywords: vieillissement, aînés, capacités, acteurs, qualité de vie, aging, seniors, capacity, stakeholders, quality of life

The question of the role of local and regional authorities in subsoil development has arisen in recent years, despite the fact that the State has long been the main player. Although their prerogatives in the field of energy and the environment have increased, the subsoil suffers from a lack of interest and a certain invisibility on their part, which leads to an underestimation of its potential for the energy transition. The objective of this article is to shed light on the relationship between these actors and this invisible part of our environment, based on a series of interviews and focusing on the case of geothermal energy. The conclusions show that their level of knowledge is generally very low, although various sources of information exist. This is the result of a combination of unfavourable factors, which until now have been largely dominant (technical confusion, projects temporality, competition with other energies, volume of investments, little consideration given to geothermal energy in urban planning documents, ambivalence of media coverage), and of others more favourable (low-carbon solution, non-intermittent renewable source of energy, limited spatial extent, significant potential). However, this situation could change in view of the energy crisis, the concern to increase energy independence, and the search for solutions capable of making a massive contribution to the transition effort.

Keywords: énergie, collectivités, géothermie, sous-sol, transition, territoire, energy, communities, geothermal, underground, transition, territory

The contributions of the allied military forces carrying out operations in the Balkans, in the Mediterranean, in Afghanistan and in Iraq are clear illustrations of the increasingly onerous tasks assumed by NATO in various regions of the world. In order to properly fulfill these duties, the Alliance has undertaken a process of transformation and renewal. This trend, initiated at the Washington Summit of 1999, was continued at the Prague Summit of November 2002. The complete reorganization of NATO's structures represents not only a new vision for the Alliance but also a disruption of sorts in light of the original fundamental objective of the Alliance. The setting up of this "new" NATO has been incremental and it is mainly due to the creation of the NATO Response Force and to the introduction of a revised command structure that the Alliance is now able to react to the new security environment and to pursue new types of missions. Consequently, despite the transformation it is presently undergoing, NATO has been able to adapt to the changing strategic context by accepting missions such as the fight against terrorism and by entering new theatres of operation such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Darfour.

AbstractThe nature of the infractions linked to the growth, sale and use of cannabis is such that criminalization brings forth varied social positions that both justify and contest it. The present article aims, on the first part, to identify the stated justifications that make the imposition of pain acceptable to criminal law and, on the second part, to examine the protests that generate the penal standards relative to cannabis. The examination of the justifications and of the protests concerning the prohibition of cannabis reveal two prominent stars: the deviant and the victim. These stars show up under different aspects. The prohibitionist rhetoric identifies five typical aspects for deviance: the dangerous, the crazy, the junky to be, the smoker and the “amotivated”. The typical aspects of the victim that give life to the protests as well as to the justifications are: the body, liberty and society. The analysis of how these two stars are built and of the roles for which the red carpet is laid before them gives some insight into the cultural products of the prohibitionist regime, in particular how it may be justified by some of its effects that are seen as causes.

This article reconfigures cultural citizenship in feminist terms by analyzing how a group of immigrant Latina activists' in turn-of-the-21st century California come to make claims for political, social, and personal rights. Concepts associated with neoliberal agendas, such as autoestima (« self-esteem »), played a significant role in women's highly politicized analyses of U.S. society, immigration and welfare policies. Women's creative redeployment of such terms demands an understanding of the subversive as well as self-conserving dynamic of democratic political practice and discourse in contemporary immigrant rights movements, and the roots of current activism in long standing efforts that transform political subjectivity.

Keywords: Coll, États-Unis, citoyenneté culturelle, immigration latino-américaine, participation politique, subjectivité, Coll, United States, Cultural Citizenship, Latina/O Immigration, Political Participation, Subjectivity, Coll, Estados Unidos, ciudadanía cultural, inmigración latino-americana, participación política, subjetividad