Good evening, everyone.
My name is Véronique Proulx. I am the chief executive officer of the Féderation des chambres de commerce du Québec, the FCCQ. I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to speak with you this evening.
The FCCQ represents 120 chambers of commerce, from metropolitan Montreal all the way to Matane, and 1,000 companies operating in the manufacturing, construction, agri-food, life sciences, information technology and financial sectors.
In short, the FCCQ and its members represent Quebec’s economic fabric. Through our network of chambers of commerce, we represent 40,000 businesses operating in all economic regions across Quebec. The FCCQ ensures the voices of businesses are heard by federal and provincial governments, advocating for legislation and regulations that support our businesses and regions.
We have four key priorities, which reflect the interests of our members. Our first priority is access to labour and talent. The second priority is access to markets, including the U.S. market, and to public procurement, which we’ll be discussing today. The third priority is business competitiveness, and the fourth one is regional dynamism, which is vital for keeping our regions open and sustaining operations.
It’s a pleasure to meet with you this evening to talk about defence, because this is a priority sector for us and for our businesses. Why? First, given the significant investments that will be made in Canada and around the world, this is a growing niche and a promising sector for Quebec’s businesses. Second, Quebec is strongly positioned to meet expectations and to capitalize on the forthcoming investments from the federal government across various sectors, including aerospace, naval, onshore and cybersecurity sectors. We are therefore well equipped to support the government with its projects and its investments.
Additionally, the federal government’s investments are likely to benefit a wide range of companies. That’s our goal and that’s exactly what we’re striving for. We certainly want that. Our aim is to secure concrete benefits for Quebec-based businesses across multiple areas of economic activity. Business opportunities will undoubtedly be important in Canada and even more so in the U.S. and Europe. To capitalize on these prospects, it is essential to have a strong voice that highlights Quebec’s strengths and demonstrates how we can support the federal government.
That is why we created the Coalition québécoise pour la défense et la sécurité. I’m here with Ms. Mélanie Lussier, with whom we collaborated to design and establish this coalition. Our goal is very simple: to rally stakeholders in Quebec’s ecosystem to ensure we speak with one voice on behalf of the defence and security sector. We also want to ensure that federal policies focus on Quebec’s strengths, again in the aerospace, naval, cybersecurity and onshore sectors. The government’s investments over the next decade have the potential to have a significant impact on the growth of our businesses—especially small and medium-sized businesses, or SMEs—and our economy.
We conducted a survey to help shape our initiatives. I will provide a brief overview of the results of the survey, which was conducted with Quebec businesses. The majority of the businesses that took part in the survey have an interest in the sector, even though only 20% of them are already in operation in the sector. Seventy per cent of the respondents say they are ill prepared to seize emerging defence-related opportunities. Obviously, the needs vary depending on business size.
Major suppliers and big businesses that are already involved in defence have a very simple message for the federal government: maintain access to the U.S. market. We must prioritize our relations with the U.S. government to maintain access to that market. While what takes place in Canada is important, it’s even more important to ensure that our businesses can leverage the investments that will be made in the U.S.
When it comes to small and medium-sized businesses in Quebec, it’s clear that more needs to be done to promote awareness since 80% of the businesses say they have average, limited or no knowledge of defence-related regulatory requirements. Over 50% of the businesses believe that to integrate procurement chains, they need initiatives or linkages with the major suppliers.
We feel it is important to collaborate with the federal government to advocate for Quebec’s priorities and discuss procurement strategies and the industrial benefits program, to ensure that our businesses can profit from the investments that will be made across Canada.
Without further ado, I’ll turn the floor over to my colleague Ms. Lussier, who will share our recommendations with the committee.