You cannot have a strong Quebec without a strong economy

By Pierre-Philippe Lortie, CCI Quebec Director of Government Affairs

At the Council of Canadian Innovators, one of our core values is the idea that we need a growing, thriving economy to sustain the public services and quality of life that we all value.

To achieve prosperity we need economic policies that allow homegrown technology companies to thrive in the 21st century. This is true in Canada, and it’s just as true in Quebec.

La Belle Province is a hotbed of tech companies, and Montreal a world-renowned centre for artificial intelligence expertise. But in the past few weeks and months, we have been hearing a groundswell of concerns about Quebec’s expanded language law, commonly known as Bill 96.

At CCI we have been engaged on this issue going back to last year, but since the bill became law in late May, concerns among private sector leaders have been growing steadily.

Everybody values Quebec’s distinct Francophone identity, and the history and culture of the province. But government mandates without adequate supports to allow immigrants to learn French could do irreparable damage to the Quebec tech sector.

The drive to say something was led by CCI’s Quebec members, and it has been striking to see tech leaders come together in recent weeks and speak with one voice.

At Futur-Quebec.ca you can read the open letter to Premier François Legault that 37 CEOs have signed, and if you are the leader of a Quebec technology company who’s concerned about the negative effects of Bill 96, you can sign your name to our open letter.

If you’re interested in learning more about CCI’s work in Quebec, contact Pierre-Philippe Lortie at plortie@canadianinnovators.org

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