PRESS RELEASE
Quebec 2010 Strategic Focus
Leading Quebec to success!
Montréal, April 22, 2010 – Some 300 decision-makers, members of the business community and emerging business leaders, met today for Quebec 2010 Strategic Focus. Organized jointly by SECOR and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, this event was an opportunity to develop a diagnosis of the Quebec of today and identify promising avenues for its future.
Pointing to the commitment of the business community, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal President and CEO Michel Leblanc opened the day by saying, “We are here this morning because we all care a great deal about the future of Quebec. This is the 50th anniversary of the Quiet Revolution, an anniversary that should rekindle our commitment to modernizing Quebec and developing its economy. The only way we will succeed in this is by setting the bar very high.”
The day featured discussions about the challenges of labour, entrepreneurship and growth, the role of the state and a number of other topics that are fundamental to Quebec’s future and development. “By associating itself with this event, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal hopes to do its part to find concrete solutions to problems, but above all to increase the level of ambition in Quebec,” Michel Leblanc said, on the event’s sidelines.
“I think the business community is both optimistic and pragmatic. While our economic performance has at times been disappointing, it occurs against a backdrop of significant opportunity. We have the duty to exploit our full potential. An aging population, GDP growth, public finances… the challenges are significant. Solutions will require commitment and leadership, particularly from the business community,” the President and CEO of the Board of Trade said.
Drawing conclusions from the day, SECOR founding partner Marcel Côté said he was very pleased with the participation in workshops on the role of government, human capital and growth, and business excellence. He pointed out that it was proof that the decision-makers and entrepreneurs in attendance reject unacceptable brakes on Quebec’s development. “We can no longer accept under-education and failing to integrate immigrants to our economic life.”
Marcel Côté reiterated the conclusions of some of the workshops and pointed out that citizens need to get more involved in a dialogue with government and the political class. He also noted that government represents approximately one third of national expenditures and that if the public cannot trust it more, there is little chance for Quebec to move forward.
“Our purpose in organizing this event was to help redefine the terms of political debate by banking on the contribution of business people to civil society and on a constructive cross-generational dialogue,” Marcel Côté said.
Michel Leblanc closed by issuing a challenge to the decision-makers in the room: “What Quebec needs more than anything is action; let’s take the messages we have heard today back to our organizations, our businesses, our ministries.”
The content of the day’s debates will be available online at www.focusstrategique.com. In addition, SECOR has announced that follow-ups to Strategic Focus will be held in Québec City in the fall and that the content of the Portrait du Québec sans complaisance will be distributed widely across the province, particularly to educational institutions.
This project is a private initiative of SECOR, produced in cooperation with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, thanks to the support of the following organizations: the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Desjardins Group, TELUS, BCF Lawyers Patent & Trade Mark Agents, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Mandrake Vézina Lebeau recherche de cadres, Pfizer and the Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation du Québec. La Presse, the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec and the Regroupement des jeunes chambres de commerce du Québec were partners for the event.
About SECOR
SECOR has been a strategic advisor to Quebec companies and public and parapublic organizations for the past 35 years. SECOR has become the largest independent consulting firm in Canada, with offices in Montréal, New York, Paris, Québec City, Toronto and Vancouver. It has earned an international reputation in management strategy consulting. SECOR’s Oona Stock, Partner, and Philippe
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
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.
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Sources:
Oona Stock
Partner responsible for Strategic Focus
SECOR
Tel.: 514 861-9031
ostock@groupesecor.com
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca