Spotlight on Québec Compiled by Shawn Lawrence
Q&A with the Québec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Exports
Jacques Daoust
The last three years has seen the Government of Québec take an active role in helping to revitalize Québec’s life science sector, whether it’s through backing public-private partnerships, stepping to the plate with financial commitments towards strategic venture funds, or launching programs geared towards nurturing the next generation of leading scientists and researchers. In conversation with Biotechnology Focus, Jacques Daoust, the Québec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Exports, discusses Québec place as a hotbed of creativity and what government is doing to help the province maintain its status as a leading life science jurisdiction.
Biotechnology Focus: The province of Québec has always stressed that the biopharmaceutical, life science and biotech industries are key pillars to its economy. When it comes to these industries, what differentiates Québec from other jurisdictions and how do you think these industries in Québec stack up against international competition? A: We’ve undergone a lot of change here in the last ten years, and while we aren’t as strong as we once were, I think the industry in Québec is still buoyant. It’s still a good industry and a sector that’s going to grow. You see it when we participate every year at the BIO
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Biotechnology Focus / August/September 2015
International Convention; we are keeping pace, if not outpacing the competition. We are also still home to seven out of the ten major players in the biopharma space and we’re always looking for new ways to ensure we maintain this position. Moreover, when it comes to research excellence and being at the cutting edge of scientific discoveries, Québec truly stands out. This comes down to having the talent and infrastructure necessary. As I’ve said we are looking for ways to get better. For example, we have also just opened a very large research hospital that is linked to McGill University, and we will also be opening another in a few months that will be associated with the University of Montréal. Both hospitals will link R&D leaders to cutting
