The electric and smart transportation (EST) industry is a lever for the creation of collective wealth in Québec. Not only does the EST ecosystem help fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it also contributes to job creation in future-oriented sectors and to the advancement of research and innovation in leading-edge technologies.
In the context of the COVID-19 crisis gripping Québec and the rest of the world, investment to ramp up the electrification of transportation has the potential to improve mobility, drive the economy and support the economic recovery.
With its many advantages, Québec is seen as a world leader in the electrification of transportation. Abundant hydroelectricity and natural mineral resources, combined with research expertise and the manufacturing know-how of players in the industry, make EST a rapidly growing sector attracting numerous investors every year.
| 99.5 % |
$1.3B |
$830 M |
2.2B |
6 240 |
| of energy produced in Québec is clean and renewable | is the industry’s (direct and indirect) contribution to Québec GDP | in Québec exports of products and services from this industry | in sales in the industry |
direct jobs in industry businesses
|
In recent years, Québec has developed leading expertise in the design and manufacture of electric vehicles and in systems and components used in the manufacture of electric and smart vehicles. This growing industry boasts numerous assets that allow it to become a global player.
Gabriel Trottier-Hardy, Business Development and Sales Director at Bombardier, explains it as follows :
“For more than 40 years, Bombardier Transportation has succeeded in developing, here in Québec, unique expertise in innovative, sustainable mobility. Whether it be in design, engineering, systems integration, manufacturing production or operation and maintenance, we have all the tools we need right here to provide high-quality integrated solutions geared to the longer term. Today, this ecosystem puts Québec in an advantageous position in the resolutely forward-looking global industry of electric and smart transportation. It creates quality jobs, brings substantial economic spin-offs, stimulates regional economies and adds lustre to Québec’s image throughout the world. This is a societal choice, an ecosystem we have built collectively. It’s up to us to continue giving it every chance to expand so that we can stay at the cutting edge of this strategic industry.”
Electrification of transportation: a means to a green recovery
The federal and provincial governments are responding to the COVID-19 crisis with investments on a scale not seen since the recovery plan implemented in the wake of World War II. Many voices are insisting that these investments be aligned with a transition to a greener, more sustainable and more resilient economy. According to a recent report from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, a green recovery could save 100,000 lives and create 1.5 million sustainable new jobs between 2030 and 2050.
In this context, decarbonizing numerous sectors of the economy, especially transportation and infrastructure, is seen as a priority. These objectives must translate into strategic investments in industries involving clean, sustainable energy and technologies, particularly in the EST sector.
But relying solely on investments to bring about a green economic shift would be a mistake. The lack of flexibility and openness to innovations in the legislative framework, particularly public procurement, is a major obstacle to attaining these goals. In the context of economic recovery, we must make sure that government contracts function as a critical driver of recovery, notably by adapting procurement rules and practices governing transportation products and services and green technologies. At a virtual event to be held on September 3, the Chamber and Propulsion Québec will release a new study on the strategic role of public procurement in strengthening Québec’s innovation and developing its economy, with particular emphasis on the EST industry. The study puts forward a series of solutions to turn public procurement into a strategic lever for a greener, more sustainable and more prosperous Québec economy.
Catch the unveiling of the study to discover these solutions.
1 https://www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/bibliotheques/secteurs/transport-terrestre/presentation-de-lindustrie-des-vehicules-electriques/
2 https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/CAPE_Report2020_EN_HealthyRecoveryPlan-1.pdf