Federal and provincial governments lending aid to the Gaspésie-Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine region

CHANDLER — The governments of Canada and Quebec are granting a total of close to $1.4 million in financial assistance over three years to GÎMXPORT, a regional export promotion organization (ORPEX) whose mission is to mentor Gaspésie and Les Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine businesses so they perform better in developing their markets in Quebec, Canada and internationally.

The Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED), Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development, and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, Pierre Fitzgibbon, the Member for Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte‑Croix, and the Member for Bonaventure, Catherine Blouin, made the announcement on Jun. 13.

The Government of Canada is providing a non‑repayable contribution of $870,000 over three years (April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2027) under CED’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program. For its part, the Government of Quebec is granting GÎMXPORT a total of $510,000, also over three years, under the third component of the Programme d’appui au fonctionnement d’organismes de développement économique (PAFODE).

GÎMXPORT’s mission is to promote and support SMEs in the Gaspésie and Les Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine regions in their export and innovation efforts. The aim of the organization’s project is to provide advisory services and specialized mentoring to regional businesses to boost their efforts to develop and diversify their export markets. It will also make it possible to enhance the services it offers through collective projects that will foster inter-regional coherence and maximize spin-offs across Quebec. The project also involves providing targeted support to SMEs to improve their capacity for innovation.

“SMEs and organizations are at the heart of economic development in our regions. Through our support for GÎMXPORT, we are ensuring that SMEs in the Gaspésie and Les Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine regions receive the guidance they need to grow and export. Our economy as a whole will benefit from the success and spin‑offs of this project,” said Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for CED.