Nearly 30 Quebec companies will share $33.6 million from the federal government to “accelerate their integration into national and international defence supply chains”.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in Montreal, the day after Prime Minister Mark Carney presented the Defence Industrial Strategy.
The $33.6 million in funding will support a total of 28 projects across Quebec. These projects aim to finance equipment acquisition, marketing strategies, and facility upgrades.
The largest share goes to Héroux-Devtek, which receives $10 million to purchase equipment that will allow it to increase its productivity. The Longueuil-based company designs and manufactures landing gear for the defence sector.
The money comes from the Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII) for Quebec., which has a budget of $64.9 million over three years. Most of the amounts announced Wednesday are repayable contributions.
To be eligible for financial assistance, companies must demonstrate that their project meets a current or future need of the Canadian Armed Forces, NATO, or an allied country.
The IRID program is one of the five pillars of Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy, which includes investments of over $500 billion.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews