George Guzmas and George Bakoyannis receive rare honour from MNA Guy Ouellette
George Bakoyannis and George Guzmas, co-publishers of the Laval News, received a rare honor recently when Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette awarded each with a National Assembly Medal in recognition of their many decades of contributions to the Laval community through their various publications.
A team effort
“We are honoured, but also we can not forget the dedication and professionalism of the team of professional people that worked and are working for us to bring out the best newspaper for the community,” the two Georges (as they are known to many) said in a statement.
Together, they founded the Laval News in 1993, and have since then expanded operations into other Montreal-area communities with additional English and Greek-language news and feature-article publications.
According to a description and explanation of the medal on the Quebec National Assembly website, the Medal of the National Assembly of Québec is awarded by the Members of the Assembly to people of their choice who are deserving of recognition, or as an official gift to Members of other parliaments, elected officials or other public figures during parliamentary missions outside Québec or protocol receptions at the Parliament Building.
Medal’s specific characteristics
Composition: bronze, lacquered antique finish. Reverse: effigy of Jean-Antoine Panet, the first Speaker of the House of Assembly of Lower Canada (before 1968, the President of the Assembly was called the Speaker).
The effigy reproduces part of the painting, ‘The Language Debate,’ by Charles Huot, that hangs in the National Assembly Chamber of the Parliament Building. As a point of interest, a miniature replica of the Medal of the National Assembly is sold at the National Assembly gift shop.
