Thank you very much for the question.
We know business opportunities in shipping are being lost every day because the deck is operating at about 28% of a wharf's usual capacity in terms of the load it can bear.
That's why we need to build an additional wharf, wharf 2, which will be perpendicular to the first. This will ensure that wharf 1, which is currently at the end of its useful life, can continue to operate while the new wharf is being built. At that point, the two wharves will be able to handle increased tonnage, and the port will finally be able to meet the needs of shipping companies.
We'll go from 300,000 metric tons a year to almost 500,000 metric tons a year to meet customer demand. We'll create 400 direct and indirect jobs per year over and above the 1,144 existing jobs. We'll go from 1,000 jobs to 1,500 jobs. At that point, more than 10% of the population of Matane will depend on the port. We'll add $54 million to the $167 million we currently contribute to Quebec's GDP. We'll also be adding $9 million to the current $20.5 million in tax revenue. This opportunity must be seized.
The Canadian government is open to the idea of reducing its dependence on the American coast. We already export two-thirds of our goods to Asia and Europe. That's why we want to move forward with this project.