Even if Ontario has just attracted the largest investment in its history in the automotive sector with the establishment of a mega-factory of batteries, Quebec has not lost the race, believes the Minister of ‘Economics, Pierre Fitzgibbon.
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“We have 5 to 7 billion $ of investment, which is known today, I think it’s a very big success. You may have the impression that we lost against Ontario, on the contrary, we won against Ontario, ”he hammered, proud, during a press briefing, in Mirabel.
Quebec started from afar
According to him, Quebec was starting from afar in the automotive sector. The last manufacturer, General Motors, left the province in the early 2000s and the sector has never revived since.
In recent weeks, the German giant BASF and the joint venture between GM and Posco, a total investment of 500 million for this last project, announced their establishment in Bécancour. Together, they will produce anodes and cathodes, an essential element in the composition of a battery.
But competition is fierce in the sector. Last week, the Korean giant LG and its partner Stellantis announced the establishment of a factory in Ontario, a total investment of $5 billion and the creation of 2,500 jobs.
Despite everything, Mr. Fitzgibbon believes that Quebec is well placed, because it is becoming an essential link in the development of electric vehicles. “Making cars in Quebec won’t happen, you have to be realistic. So went to the other side [de la chaîne] “, he explains.
The extraction of the ore therefore takes place here in Quebec, but also the first steps towards the manufacture of the battery.
“It’s been the number one industry in Quebec for generations. We take the ore and create value. Getting lithium, graphite, nickel to the anode-cathode […] if we stop there, produce this for North America for other celluliers, it’s an extraordinary success”, he says.
However, the Minister does not exclude that other big players could come to set up in Quebec, but believes that it is necessary to specialize without spreading too thin.
“You have to focus on the things where you can be good, if you want to do everything, make planes, make cars, make boats, at some point you have to do less and do them right”, says- he.