The Symposium on the Canadian Defence and Security Market in Quebec opens today

BOUCHERVILLE, QC, Oct. 23, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED), in partnership with Aéro Montréal and STIQ, is making an announcement regarding the third Symposium on the Canadian defence and Security Market to be held today. The focus is on "Industrial Capabilities in Quebec."

The event in a nutshell

• On this occasion, Jean R. Rioux, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Harjit Singh Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, will be giving the opening remarks, which touch on the Government of Canada's new defence policy.

• Simon Jacques, President of Airbus, will give the keynote lunch address on Airbus's value chain in Canada, current R&D partnerships and how to do business with Airbus.  

• The Symposium on the Canadian Defence and Security Market brings together prime contractors, original equipment manufacturers and SMEs and is intended to position Quebec, its businesses and its research institutions at the centre of defence and security business opportunities.

• The event also informs SMEs about business opportunities in the defence and security market and best practices for achieving success, in addition to giving an overview of the industrial capabilities of Quebec businesses that are already working in this market.

• Key Government of Canada stakeholders (Public Services and Procurement Canada; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces; the Coast Guard; and many more) will attend and be available to meet with participants.

• There will also be a chance to test the prototype of the Québec Security Defence Portal. This portal provides an array of services for businesses and organizations that want to increase their activities in the security and defence sector. 

• The potential impact of Canada's new defence policy on the industry will also be discussed.

Quotes

"The Innovation and Skills Plan launched earlier this year is based on three focus areas: people, technologies and companies. The major defence companies are leaders in the development of new technologies and do business in the global market. Today's meeting is an excellent opportunity for Canadian companies to take ownership of these technologies in order to succeed internationally."

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for CED

 "A specialist in industrial networking, the STIQ is pleased to co-organize the third Symposium on the Canadian Defence and Security Market, a key sector of the Quebec and Canadian economies in terms of innovation, exports and job creation. The event is also an opportunity to launch the new Québec Security Defence Portal, which was developed jointly by the STIQ, Aéro Montréal and Québec International with support from the ministère de l'Économie, de la Science et de l'Innovation (MÉSI). The symposium and the portal are unique ways to showcase the expertise of Quebec enterprises in the defence and security sector, while informing all stakeholders in the industry about business opportunities related to major National Defence and Canadian Coastguard procurement projects. There is no doubt that these projects provide unique business opportunities for standout Quebec businesses."

Richard Blanchet, President and Chief Executive Officer, STIQ

"The defence sector provides very significant business opportunities for aerospace SMEs, contributing $9.5 billion directly and indirectly to the Canadian GDP, including $2.3 billion in Quebec alone. That is why we are making every effort to help and encourage our enterprises to invest in this market segment. With this in mind, the Government of Quebec tasked Aéro Montréal, the STIQ and Québec International this year with developing the Québec Security Defence Portal, a tool that inventories the defence and security industrial capabilities of Quebec businesses. The purpose of the portal is to further optimize the effectiveness and tangible benefits of business development in defence and security companies by offering them concrete, up-to-date information on business opportunities in this growth sector."

Suzanne Benoît, President, Aéro Montréal

Related links
Defence procurement strategy
ITBs
Innovation and Skills Plan

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SOURCE Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions

For further information: Aéro Montréal: Gwenaël Brisé, Communications and Media Relations Officer, Tel.: [phone], Cell.: 438-497-3857, [e-mail]; STIQ: Maxence Ouatak, Communications Coordinator, Tel.: [phone], [e-mail]; Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions: Media Relations, Tel.: [phone], [e-mail]