Ottawa, April 26, 2021—ICTC has partnered with Propulsion Quebec to better understand the role of electric vehicles (EVs) in an environmentally sustainable economic recovery in Quebec and the implications of the sector’s growth for the province’s labour market.

Quebec is positioned to become a leader in electric and smart ground transportation, which a key component of the fight against climate change. The province leverages impressive assets and has a unique innovative ecosystem for the development of electric and smart transport. As of 2018, the sector already represents $1.3 billion of Quebec’s GDP, 147 active businesses, 6,240 jobs, and generates $2.2 billion in sales.

Research under the ICTC-Propulsion Quebec partnership aims to better understand the investments that will be needed in EV companies and traditional supply chain companies to accelerate EV development and other dimensions of the sector.

Of equal importance will be understanding the labour market implications of EVs in the short term and long term (three to five years), including insight into specific job types and skills needed in the sector.

Additional areas of research include the following:

• Pathways to an innovative and green transport system in Quebec, including infrastructure needs, talent/training, and policy levers

• Skill and job mapping of existing talent in Quebec, future needs to support growth, including the identification of potential talent gaps

• Need for support to the transport industry transition from the combustion engine to transport electrification

This research (consisting of primary and secondary research, industry surveys, lit review, data analysis, web scraping, etc.) is expected to be published in Q3 2021.

“We are delighted to partner with Propulsion Quebec to better understand the momentum and catalysts behind EV development and adoption in Quebec. The next few years will see a period of significant maturation in this industry and Quebec is poised to play a critical role in advancing this agenda for the increasingly environmentally conscious consumer,” said Namir Anani, ICTC President and CEO.

“Propulsion Québec aims to position Québec as a leader in electric and smart transportation and is campaigning for a green recovery. Through this major project of electrifying transportation, Quebec can generate significant economic spinoffs and contribute to a sustainable recovery. This strategic project will make it possible to advance two important working groups: industry talent in order to better understand the skills gap to support the growth of the sector and public policies to accelerate the requalification and development of key skills. Finally, this project will also assess the need to support the transport equipment manufacturing value chain to electrification.” - Sarah Houde – CEO, Propulsion Quebec.

Propulsion Quebec is a smart and electric transportation cluster that rallies the entire sector around joint projects aimed at positioning Quebec as a leader in developing and implementing land transportation systems that promote smart and electric transportation. Created in 2017, Propulsion Quebec has over 210 members from a variety of sectors and deploys its resources across six distinct working groups to develop and support innovative projects. The cluster receives financial support from the Government of Québec, the Government of Canada, Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), ATTRIX, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Hydro-Québec and Quebecor.

The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) is a not-for-profit, national centre of expertise for strengthening Canada’s digital advantage in a global economy. Through trusted research, practical policy advice, and creative capacity-building programs, ICTC fosters globally competitive Canadian industries enabled by innovative and diverse digital talent. In partnership with an expansive network of industry leaders, academic partners, and policy makers from across Canada, ICTC has empowered a robust and inclusive digital economy for over 25 years.

To learn more about this partnership or other media inquiries, please contact Paul Stastny at @email or 403.351.0138 Ext. 823.

A French language version of this press release is available here.