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Mandate
The object of the Agency is to promote the long-term economic development of the regions of Quebec by giving special attention to those where slow economic growth is prevalent or where opportunities for productive employment are inadequate.
What is the Agency doing?
Vis-à-vis whom?
What is it trying to achieve?
How?
What results does it obtain?
What is the Agency doing?
It elicits, guides and supports the implementation of development projects by means of such intervention tools as:
- financial assistance
- information and referrals
- advice and guidance.
Vis-à-vis whom?
It intervenes throughout Quebec vis-à-vis a clientele consisting primarily of:
- SMEs, including social economy enterprises
- non-profit organizations (NPOs) which provide services to enterprises as well as facilitation and mobilization services to the development milieu
- communities.
The services provided by Agency-funded NPOs in this regard contribute to extending its reach throughout all Quebec regions.
What is it trying to achieve?
The Agency targets strategic outcomes geared to the challenges of the global economy and of the regions' adjustment and vitality, namely:
Enterprises' competitiveness
The growth of enterprises that innovate and export generates a particularly stimulating effect on economic development and a lasting increase in employment. When fostering the development of enterprises with a view to making them more competitive, the Agency works primarily with small and medium-sized enterprises and non-profit organizations that provide services to enterprises. In so doing, the Agency facilitates in particular the adoption by enterprises of:
- advanced business practices (eg., e-business, strategic planning systems)
- innovation in processes, equipment and products
- commercialization of new products and development of new export markets
- development and reinforcement of knowledge-based competitive advantages.
Vitality of communities
A region thus has to be dynamic and have at its disposal, among other things, quality economic, cultural and tourism infrastructure and a solid network of local and regional development-oriented organizations. The Agency therefore works closely with local and regional economic agents, entrepreneurs and community stakeholders to promote the vitality of communities. In so doing, the Agency fosters, among other things:
- enhanced local capability to take charge of local development
- startup and expansion of small enterprises of local scope (entrepreneurship), including social economy enterprises
- improvement of collective infrastructure, namely, transportation infrastructure; drinking water (filtration plants and distribution networks) and wastewater (water supply and sewers) infrastructure; and infrastructure with an economic and cultural role.
On an exceptional basis, also to ensure the health of certain communities, the Agency is sometimes called upon to intervene and institute special adjustment measures when communities or regions find themselves in a crisis situation following:
- a major economic shock, such as the closure of plants in an industry on which a region's economy is based (eg., textiles, lumber)
- natural disaster leading to the suspension or cessation of a region's economic activity (eg., Saguenay flooding, Montreal and Montérégie ice storm).
How?
Using an adapted approach:
- that takes the main determinants of regional development into consideration
- that reflects the challenges and potential of the regions and types of area
- that reflects public needs and expectations
- that builds on complementarity with other federal and provincial government departments and agencies.
What results does it obtain?
As of March 31, 2008, the Agency will have contributed to:
- increasing domestic and foreign sales by SMEs
- enhancing the competitive position of SMEs
- improving local capability to take charge of local development
- improving the economic environment for development of the regions
- upgrading community infrastructure.
As of March 31, 2004, the Agency had already contributed to:
- generating $4 billion in investment in regional development
- creating, maintaining and transforming more than 13,000 jobs.
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