Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin is preparing to take on a new professional challenge.

The former mayor of Gatineau has been appointed member of the board of directors and general director of the National Museum of the History of Quebec, the office of Prime Minister François Legault announced Wednesday in a press release.

Pedneaud-Jobin is expected to officially take up his new role on Thursday.

The Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, says he made this recommendation.

“We did not make a call for applications. I selected this candidate, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, and the decision was taken today in the Council of Ministers,” he declared during a press conference at the National Assembly. “I am very pleased that the cabinet has appointed Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin as the very first director general of the National Museum of the History of Quebec.

Lacombe said he believed Pedneaud-Jobin was “the perfect candidate.”

“I think that he has demonstrated during his two mandates at the head of the City of Gatineau that he is a man capable of being visionary, who has a vision and who can implement it,” he said. he declared. “He is someone who can build bridges, whether with civil society, First Nations or Inuit. For these reasons, I think he is the obvious candidate.”

Lacombe, originally from Outaouais, has known Pedneaud-Jobin for several years.

“Obviously that always comes into play when you know the person professionally and are able to vouch for their abilities,” he said. “I worked with him when he was mayor of Gatineau, so I can attest to his ability to create links with communities, his ability to build consensus, his ability to have a vision, which is important for a new institution like the National Museum of Gatineau. the history of Quebec.”

The museum is expected to open in spring 2026.

— This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on October 31, 2024.