Press Release
Entrepreneurship strategy: a much-anticipated announcement that addresses glaring needs
Montréal, November 15, 2011 – The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal applauds the much-anticipated release of the Stratégie québécoise de l’entrepreneuriat (Quebec entrepreneurship strategy) today by Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade, Sam Hamad. “The state of entrepreneurship in Quebec and the metropolitan area has gone downhill in the past decade, and it’s high time that we adopt a strategy to inspire young people to dare to dream of being their own boss and starting their own business,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
Today’s announcement responds to a number of concerns expressed by the members of the Board of Trade. “The most inspiring part of the new strategy is how it explicitly values entrepreneurship and includes the Minister of Education in the initiative,” Michel Leblanc said. “The Strategy also makes real efforts to support the growth of companies. Entrepreneurs complain about the difficulty they experience gaining access to venture capital during the crucial early stages of their business. Government support to Angel Investors is an effective response, as is the investment in the innovation incubator Notman House, a project at the heart of the city’s knowledge economy. The government also adopted the proposal of SAJE accompagnateur d’entrepreneurs to create and manage a Centre de transfert d’entreprises (CTE) in Montréal. These are all excellent measures.”
“This $450-million strategy includes concrete measures to help entrepreneurs,” Mr. Leblanc said. “Simplifying programs and administrative procedures will let them concentrate on generating wealth rather than on paperwork. That’s good news for our economic development.”
The report A city that lives up to our aspirations, commissioned by the Board of Trade, and the brief it presented as part of consultations for the Strategy, asked for a rationalization of economic development agencies. “We would have preferred that the Strategy go further in rationalizing economic development agencies,” said Michel Leblanc. “The dispersal of resources in and of itself creates complications for entrepreneurs and hampers the efficiency of efforts. We have noted the government’s will to support the most effective initiatives, and we hope that this work to concentrate efforts will continue in the coming years.”
The Board of Trade, through its team of entrepreneurship experts, Info entrepreneurs, individually helps over 17,000 entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs every year. They are guided to the resources available for their business projects. It offers a single source of information for entrepreneurs on programs from the three levels of government, and its Website receives over 100,000 visits a year. Info entrepreneurs also supplies content for the Quebec section of the Canada Business Network Website, which receives over 350,000 visits per year. Info entrepreneurs organizes over 500 financing meetings annually between entrepreneurs and financing organizations.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
-30-
Source:
Geneviève Marsan
Interim Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Phone: 514 871-4000, extension 4015
gmarsan@ccmm.qc.ca