Actuality¹⁴⁹

Press review - Public Affairs Committee

CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Par

Catherine Gingras

JCCM

Chargée de projet bénévole sur le comité affaires publiques

Skills development

The worst is yet to come, say economists

Source : La Presse, April 4, 2025

“The repercussions of US protectionism and uncertainty on the labour market are already being felt.”

The Canadian economy lost 33,000 jobs in March, marking its worst performance in over three years, with clear signs of weakness in the private sector and full-time positions. Economists worry that this decline is just the beginning of a more serious trend, exacerbated by the US-led trade war and global uncertainty. In Quebec, despite stable employment, unemployment is rising and forecasts are pessimistic, with a possible significant deterioration in the labor market if the trade conflict intensifies.

Entrepreneurship, impact intrapreneurship and takeovers

Doors open in Germany for Quebec

Source : Les Affaires, April 4, 2025

“Our aim is to give Quebec companies the right contacts to sell their products and services. We've landed some great meetings. A dozen meetings in particular with companies with sales of over $1 billion.”

More than 100 Quebec companies took part in a trade mission to Hanover to strengthen ties with the German market, in a strategic effort to diversify exports. Despite the Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement, Québec still has a significant trade deficit with Germany, underscoring the urgent need to step up our efforts. Investissement Québec and the Délégation générale in Munich stress the importance of a sustained presence on the ground, and propose tools such as the Panorama program to support companies in setting up in Europe.

A helping hand for women entrepreneurs

Source : La Presse, March 27, 2025

“This tool was necessary for us, because I can no longer be alone in connecting companies to each other. Our expertise will now be able to benefit a greater number of women-owned businesses, and they'll be integrated into Canada's supply chains.”

A new platform called Maïa, launched by the Réseau des Femmes d'affaires du Québec, will give 750 women-owned businesses free access to tenders from 50 major Canadian companies from May 2024, facilitating their integration into supply chains. Powered by artificial intelligence, Maïa aims to centralize business opportunities while offering mentoring and training services. Backed by $3.9 million in federal funding, the project promotes diversity and female entrepreneurship as strategic levers for the Canadian economy.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Language creates a glass ceiling

Source : Finance et investissement, April 2, 2025

“In terms of diversity, they don't hire many people who speak French. It's not their priority. If someone speaks French, it's an accident.”

In the Canadian financial sector, many French-speaking advisors experience a linguistic glass ceiling, feeling marginalized in an industry dominated by English, particularly given the centralization of head offices and work tools in Ontario. This invisible barrier limits their access to management positions and complicates their day-to-day work, particularly in the absence of bilingual resources. Despite the existence of bilingual professionals in Quebec, the lack of proactive equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies risks perpetuating this inequality within the workplace.

Hundreds of demonstrators unite in Blainville against Bill 93

Source : Le Devoir, April 5 2025

“Today, we can see that the protest against Bill 93 goes beyond the boundaries of the city of Blainville, it's really a mobilization never seen before.”

Hundreds of demonstrators, including several elected officials, gathered in Blainville to oppose the expansion of the Stablex hazardous waste dump and the adoption of Bill 93, which authorizes the expropriation of municipal land for the benefit of the company. Opponents denounce the bypassing of democratic processes and an ecological threat, while the Legault government justifies the measure by the urgent need to maintain waste treatment services for 600 customers. The debate even divides protesters over the alternative location proposed by the city, closer to residential areas.

Federal elections 2025

Why (and how) the right appeals to young men in Canada

Source : 24 heures, April 2 2025

“Women aged 18-34 intend to vote for more left-wing parties (59%) compared to young men who will vote for more right-wing parties (48%).”

Young Canadian men, particularly those aged 18-34, show a marked preference for conservative parties, with voting intentions significantly higher than those of young women, according to several recent polls. This shift to the right can be explained in part by the different priorities of the sexes - men being more concerned about the economy and crime, while women prioritize social issues. This growing ideological gap between the sexes marks a change in traditional electoral dynamics in Canada.