Question Period Note: Support for clean growth in Quebec

Support for clean growth in Quebec

• Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions contributes to government objectives by supporting businesses and communities in their transition to clean, sustainable economic growth.
• Through its interventions, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions supports businesses and organizations that develop, market and adopt clean technologies in order to grow the economy while protecting the environment.
• Since November 2015, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions has approved 417 clean tech projects, amounting to over $263 million in authorized assistance and generating total investments of over $2 billion.
  Supplementary response
• CED contributes to the shift towards a green economy by supporting projects involving the commercialization and adoption of new technologies and clean products in various fields, such as bioproducts, bioenergy, energy efficiency and sustainable development measures.
• CED prioritizes green economy projects, specifically through the Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF) and the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative (ARRI).

• CED participates in the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable economy, and prioritizes projects by businesses or organizations that contribute to this objective. This includes both projects submitted under its regular programs and those covered under recovery initiatives such as the CEF, the ARRI or the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF).
• In Budget 2016, the federal government required the regional development agencies, including CED, to double their annual investments in clean technologies. For CED, this represents an annual target of $25 million, which has been achieved every year.
• CED’s support for clean growth, both through its regular programs and special initiatives, can be broken down as follows:
  * Support for startup or growth projects by businesses that develop and commercialize clean technologies
  * Support for projects involving the adoption of clean technologies
  * Prioritization of projects whose primary goal is not necessarily to enhance environmental performance, but which nevertheless have a positive impact in this regard.
  * Support for organizations that assist or help organize clean tech related businesses
  ** Referrals to other relevant government programs (e.g., Sustainable Development Technology Canada)
  Examples of projects
  Anomera Inc.
  In December 2020, CED authorized a $2 million repayable contribution for a Témiscaming-based company that produces biodegradable cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from forest pulp, forest residue and biomass. This technology is an innovative and environmentally sustainable solution that can replace plastic and silica microbeads in common consumer products such as cosmetics, or in industrial products such as cement, paint, and plastic and its components.
  Techno-Pneu Inc.
  In July 2021, CED authorized a $304,000 repayable contribution to a Rimouski company that owns the only tire reconditioning plant in Quebec to give used tires a second life. The company relies on technology that uses no water, recycles 100% of the original material and emits no air pollution.

CED is actively involved in the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable economy. Through both its regular programs and special initiatives, CED contributes to clean growth in various ways, notably by supporting startup or growth projects spearheaded by businesses that develop or commercialize clean technologies.