First meeting of ministerial advisory committee on green shift

Key step in CED's action plan has just been taken

MONTRÉAL, March 20, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED)

The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED, gathered together for the first time, on March 13, 2023, the ministerial advisory committee on the environmental transition. This is a key step in CED's action plan to promote the environmental shift and long-term competitiveness of Quebec's businesses and regions.

This advisory committee has a mandate to provide perspectives and recommendations to the Minister on the challenges Quebec's small and medium-sized businesses must overcome to accelerate the environmental transition and seize the business opportunities that may arise. The committee's work will, among other things, enable CED to go further in integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into its actions.

With a focus on being inclusive and representative, the committee brings together members of different sectors (financial community, manufacturing sector, sectoral organization, SMEs and major prime contractors, NPOs, Indigenous communities, academic and research communities). Members were chosen based on their experience, knowledge, or relevant perspectives.

The committee members are as follows:

• Geneviève Morin, Chief Executive Officer, Fondaction – Committee Chair
• Alain Bédard, Director, First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Sustainable Development Institute
• Karl Blackburn, President and CEO, Conseil du patronat du Québec
• Corinne Gendron, Full Professor and Director of the Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Research Chair, École des sciences de la gestion, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
• François Labelle, Professor of Business Strategy and Social Responsibility and Research Member of the Institut de recherche sur les PME (InRPME), Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
• Jean Lortie, President, Commission des partenaires du marché du travail
• Véronique Proulx, CEO, Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Québec
• Louis Roy, Founder and CEO, Optel
• Marina Soubirou, Executive Director, Technopole maritime du Québec
• Manuela Teixeira, President and CEO, Old Chelsea Square

As a reminder, this advisory committee was created as part of a broader action plan to accelerate the green transition in the economy and that includes the following actions:

• Double CED's annual green investment target by 2025-2026 to $50M per year and ease the conditions CED offers to SMEs that take action (as of April 1, 2023).
• Apply an environmental scorecard to all CED programs starting on April 1, 2023, to raise awareness among businesses and better understand their needs and practices.
• Strengthen support for the ecosystem to ensure SMEs from different regions have the support ecosystem they need to see their green transition through (as of April 1, 2023).

With these various commitments, CED will stand by Quebec's SMEs to support them through each step of this environmental transition, which is so important to ensure the green, sustainable growth of our economy.

"I fundamentally believe that CED can make a difference in accelerating our economy's green transition. With the help of the advisory committee, I plan to explore how CED can, through its regional development mandate, encourage businesses to take action and help build a greener, more equitable, and more responsible future for Quebec's regions."

The Honourable Pascale St‑Onge, Member of Parliament for Brome–Missisquoi, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED

"I am really proud to chair the advisory committee, whose work will support Minister St-Onge in her willingness to identify actions that can be taken to respond to SMEs' needs. The economy must be transformed to meet people's growing needs, while respecting the planet's limits. Businesses that imagine, develop, and market solutions to achieve this balance will be the economic champions of tomorrow. In Quebec, SMEs represent over 90% of the fabric of the economy, and it is with them that we will succeed in reaching the decarbonization targets for the economy."

Geneviève Morin, Chair of the Minister's advisory committee on the green transition of businesses and Chief Executive Officer of Fondaction

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SOURCE Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions