Growing Montréal's economy through innovation
Government of Canada will invest in Quebec's high-growth, globally competitive sectors
MONTRÉAL, April 24, 2017 /CNW/ - Quebec's global leadership in digital industries, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and clean technology will drive economic growth and create the well-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow.
That was the message delivered by David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, the Honourable Navdeep Bains. Mr. Lametti delivered his remarks today at a conference hosted by TechnoMontréal, Greater Montréal's information and communications technologies cluster.
As part of its Innovation and Skills Plan, the Government of Canada will invest in a multi-year effort to make Canada a world-leading centre for innovation that will create more well-paying jobs and grow the middle class.
The plan includes the following key elements:
- Investing $950 million over five years to create innovation superclusters, which are dense areas of business activity that contain large and small companies, universities and colleges, and specialized talent and infrastructure. These growth engines create jobs, encourage knowledge sharing, drive business specialization and attract global companies to invest.
- Investing $125 million to attract and retain top researchers in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence and deep learning, a field in which Montréal universities are recognized as world leaders.
- Investing $400 million over three years to increase late-stage venture capital available to Canadian entrepreneurs.
- Creating 10,000 work-integrated learning placements for post-secondary students through Mitacs, a non-profit group that builds partnerships among industry, colleges and universities.
- Launching the Global Skills Strategy on June 12, which will enable Canadian companies to recruit top international talent more quickly and easily.
Quote
"Montréal is home to many hotbeds of innovation that drive the region's economy. Our government is making smart and responsible investments in sectors where Montréal has globally competitive advantages to create new jobs and business opportunities that will equip Quebecers to succeed now and well into the future. And we will deliver a growing economy that works for every Canadian."
– David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
Associated links
Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @MinisterISED
SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
For further information: Contacts: Karl W. Sasseville, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-2500; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]
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