La Coop fédérée welcomes the decision of the Quebec government to support the manufacturing sector

MONTREAL, April 18, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - La Coop fédérée welcomes with enthusiasm the initiative by the Government of Quebec with regards to the Quebec manufacturing sector which translates into $500 million over three years for local enterprises. Deployed through the strategic plans of Investissement Québec (IQ), the ministère de l'Économie, de la Science et de l'Innovation (MESI) and the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ), the measure announced by the Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, and the Minister in charge of Digital Strategies, the Hon. Dominique Anglade, is very timely for the revitalization of the manufacturing sector in Quebec which already lags behind in bringing conditions up to 21^st century standards.

"The government's announcement consists of major actions to support the recovery of the manufacturing sector and related jobs, and this will place the sector in a positive position to allow the conversion of existing systems and the seizing of business opportunities as they emerge," indicated the President of La Coop fédérée, Ghislain Gervais. "This action is certainly welcome given the importance of the manufacturing industry in Quebec."

As the largest cooperative agri-food enterprise in Quebec, La Coop fédérée is very aware of the evolution of the manufacturing sector in the province, particularly in the regions where it plays an important economic role and contributes significantly to the collective wealth of Quebecers. However, the sector has experienced a difficult period throughout the last 15 years and, as the 2016-2019 IQ Strategic Plan emphasizes, the sector's weight as part of Quebec's GDP has gone from 20.9% to 14.6%.

"We have a collective duty to participate in the revitalization of the manufacturing sector in Quebec, especially in order to allow it to benefit from the outlook that is being provided by economic trade agreements and deals that are being outlined and will open up extraordinary markets with hundreds of millions of people," noted Ghislain Gervais, adding that the ability to innovate is no longer an option for the organizations of today, but an essential map on the road to winning over contemporary markets. "In addition to being active in the areas of agriculture, energy, retail trade, and meats, La Coop fédérée believes in technological innovation, innovative processes as well as research with the goal of supporting its activities and always accomplishing its mission more effectively in the interest of its 90,000 members whose activities command major investments in various leading-edge technologies for its clients and Quebecers."

About La Coop fédérée
Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is the largest agri-food organization in Quebec. It is owned by more than 90,000 members joined within 72 cooperatives located across several Canadian provinces and it is present throughout the agri-food chain. As a wholesaler, La Coop fédérée provides agricultural producers with the goods and services necessary for their operations. Its activities are separated into three divisions: Agri-business (livestock and crop productions, and marketing grains under the Elite and La Coop brands), Retail & Innovation (energy, hardware and farm machinery under the Sonic, Unimat, BMR and Agrizone brands) and Meats (under the Olymel, Flamingo and Lafleur brands). La Coop fédérée employs 12,200 people with revenues reaching $5.992 billion. Including its affiliated cooperatives, La Coop fédérée counts more than 18,350 employees and combined revenues of $9.6 billion.

SOURCE La Coop fédérée

Source: Ben Marc Diendéré, Senior Vice-President, Communications, Public Affairs & Brand Image, @Marc_ben; Media Contact: Marie-Hélène Cliche, Director, Corporate Communications, 514 347-5939, [email protected]