The SPACQ Foundation presented ten music awards Oct. 1, 2008, in celebration of outstanding achievements by Quebec songwriters. All recipients were SOCAN members. Individual awards are named in honour of some of Quebec’s best-known music personalities, five of whom attended the Montreal ceremony, hosted by singer-songwriter Louise Forestier. The 2008 award winners were:

• Catherine Major and Damien Robitaille, the André Dédé Fortin Award, presented to up-and-coming songwriters
• Yann Perreau, the Gilles Vigneault Award, presented to a new songwriter
• Gilles Valiquette, the Eddy Marnay Award, presented to a songwriter for his/her involvement on behalf of creators
• Paul Baillargeon, the Richard Grégoire Award, presented to an audio-visual music composer
• Alain Lefèvre, the André Gagnon Award, presented to an instrumental composer
• Lise Aubut, the Luc Plamondon Award, presented to a songwriter, for lyrics
• Robert Léger, the François Cousineau award, presented to a songwriter, for music
• Louise Forestier, the Lucille Dumont Award, for lifetime achievement
• Richard Desjardins, the Robert Charlebois Award, presented to a songwriter for international achievement
• Jean-Pierre Ferland, the Sylvain Lelièvre Award, presented for career achievement in songwriting

All recipients said they were honoured to have been selected for the SPACQ (Société professionnelle des auteurs et des compositeurs) Foundation awards, each of which comes with a $10,000 cash prize (except for the Dédé Fortin Award, which comes with two separate $5,000 cash prizes). They also expressed unanimous praise for songwriter Diane Juster, the SPACQ Awards’ tireless organizer. Former SOCAN president and current board member Gilles Valiquette had this to say about the songwriting profession as he received his award: "When you embark on your career, you think that your most precious assets are the number one hits and gold records you collect. But your most invaluable asset really is the talent and creativity you find along the way. To you, young artists, I say, get involved in the business of being a songwriter. If you think that some dinosaurs should be bowing out, you are right, but those dinosaurs are waiting for you to come and replace them first!"

Presenting his colleague Paul Baillargeon with his award for audio-visual music composition, Richard Grégoire commented that "this award’s winner has shown through his many Star Trek scores that a local composer can compare with Hollywood’s greatest film music creators. He has been one of the first to do so, but I know he won’t be the last." André Gagnon stated that it was a great honour for him to lend his name to the instrumental music award, and reminded the audience that Alain Lefèvre was not only a world renowned concert pianist, but also an active composer. Lefèvre returned the compliment by saying that Gagnon had "always been an idol" of his. Robert Charlebois made everyone laugh by saying that singer-songwriter Richard Desjardins, known for his environmental philosophy, was himself "a renewable energy resource well worth investing in," while Desjardins recalled how he and a bunch of friends had travelled from Rouyn to Amos, Abitibi, back in 1969, to see L’Osstidcho, the mythical stage event that launched the careers of Robert Charlebois, Louise Forestier, Yvon Deschamps and Mouffe and, in Desjardins’ words, "liberated Francophone pop music in an incalculable way."

Presenting the award bearing his name to his friend Robert Léger, SOCAN board member François Cousineau noted that "Robert has not only touched the hearts of Quebecers with his music, he has also been generous enough to share his songwriting expertise in a book [Écrire une chanson]. Plus he is also a copyright militant!" Louise Forestier, the ceremony’s upbeat host, recalled many highlights of her early career in the 1960s after being presented with her SPACQ Foundation award by the legendary singer Lucille Dumont. Finally, Sylvain Lelièvre’s widow, who presented the award for international achievement to Jean-Pierre Ferland, said to the now retired singer-songwriter that there had "never been a celebration or a party at our house in the 42 years I shared with Sylvain that we did not play your music."

The lunchtime award ceremony was attended by many cultural, political and financial personalities, including the awards’ sponsors and Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay. SOCAN was represented by Vice President, Membership and General Manager, Quebec and Atlantic Division France Lafleur, Quebec Region Membership Department Manager Joanne Pouliot and several other employees.