Montreal, February 3, 2022 ‒ The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and Propulsion Québec welcome the launch of the Governmental Public Procurement Strategy by the minister responsible for Government Administration and President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel. The Chamber and Propulsion Québec, the cluster for electric and intelligent transportation, have been calling since 2020 for a public procurement policy that better takes into account criteria of innovation, sustainable development and local purchasing, to the benefit of local businesses.
"With her new strategy, Minister LeBel demonstrates that she is listening to the business community. The flagship measures we identified in our study carried out with Propulsion Québec in 2020 are included, both in terms of collaboration with private actors and legal framework and in terms of strengthening organizational culture among public actors. Facilitating access to public contracts for start-ups and SMEs is particularly welcome. This will increase their outlets and their contribution to our economy. The Chamber nevertheless questions the decision to favor regional companies to the extent of 60%. This measure does not respect an equity criterion toward entrepreneurs in the metropolitan region," said Michel Leblanc, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.
"Companies in the electric and intelligent transportation ecosystem were eagerly awaiting the release of this strategy. It will have a major impact on our sector, notably for the electrification of public vehicle fleets and for the enhancement of R&D investments. I want to highlight the government's willingness to promote innovation and local procurement, key elements for maximizing the commercialization of new solutions in electric and intelligent transportation. We will continue collaborating with our partners to ensure that important elements are taken into account, such as favoring value over price and integrating environmental criteria into the awarding of public contracts. We will consult our members and actively participate in this consultation to ensure that, in every detail, the bill meets the needs of the industry," concluded Sarah Houde, President and Chief Executive Officer of Propulsion Québec.
To consult the study produced jointly with Propulsion Québec, entitled Making Public Procurement a Strategic Tool for Economic Development and Strengthening Innovation in Quebec, please click here.
About the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM)
With a network of 8,000 members, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (hereinafter "the Chamber") acts on two fronts: it represents the voice of the metropolitan business community and offers specialized services to businesses and their employees. Always up to date, it intervenes in issues that are decisive for the prosperity of companies and the metropolis. With the support of its Acclr experts, the Chamber aims to accelerate the creation and growth of companies of all sizes, here and internationally.
About Propulsion Québec
Quebec’s electric and intelligent transportation cluster brings together ecosystem actors around concerted projects aimed at positioning Quebec among the world leaders in the development and deployment of electric and intelligent transportation, to the benefit of Quebec’s economy and environment. Created in 2017, Propulsion Québec today has more than 250 members from different sectors and deploys its resources across six distinct work streams aimed at developing and supporting innovative projects. The cluster benefits from the financial support of the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM), ATTRIX, Desjardins Group, Fasken, the FTQ Solidarity Fund, Hydro-Québec and Québecor.
Source
Anne-Sophie DesRoches
Advisor, Public Affairs
NATIONAL Public Relations Firm
Tel.: 514 238-1825 | asdesroches@national.ca
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