Investissement Québec (IQ) enters into dozens of contracts each year in English to provide financing to Quebec-based companies.
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In response to a request for access to information from Le Journal, IQ said it was unable to quantify the number of financing contracts signed each year, and certainly not the number of contracts written in English.
“Investissement Québec has neither a document indicating the number of contracts related to its financial interventions nor a system that allows them to be counted,” the state-owned company claimed.
“An accurate estimate would be the number of financial interventions granted each year,” she continued.
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As of 2019, IQ has conducted between 2,000 and 4,900 “interventions” per year to help businesses. So how many of these were completed in English?
Given the journal's persistence, the institution finally decided on a scale.
“Around 2% of contracts”
“The contracts written in English by Investissement Québec are marginal and represent about 2% of the financing contracts concluded by Investissement Québec,” said an IQ spokeswoman, Isabelle Fontaine.
40 to 100
This still equates to 40 to 100 contracts in English per year that regulate the allocation of public funds in Quebec to companies operating here.
“They are systematically translated into French,” argued Ms. Fontaine. […] This is essentially the case when the funding request involves partners outside Quebec.”
However, it is not possible to know with which companies IQ has contracts in English.
“Incomprehensible”
“This is incomprehensible and unacceptable,” responded Marie-Anne Alepin, president of the Saint Jean Baptiste Society.
“We know that in Quebec things happen in French,” she added. In my opinion, it is not normal for a Quebec state company to send official correspondence or conclude contracts in English. […] This contradicts the messages of the Legault government. This is not trivial.”
The General President of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (SSJB), Marie-Anne Alepin. PHOTO provided by Victor Diaz Lamich
Remember that Law 96, which strengthens the Charter of the French Language, came into force in 2022. In particular, it stipulates that the state must demonstrate “exemplary practice” in the use of the French language.
“We take our duty to be a role model when it comes to the French language very seriously,” assured Isabelle Fontaine. Let me make it clear that all contracts concluded with Quebec companies are written in French.”
The IQ spokesperson clarified that “the contracts with Northvolt – and all related documents – were concluded exclusively in French.”
Remember that the financial support granted to the Swedish battery manufacturer, which could amount to $2.9 billion, is the largest in Quebec history.
Powered by Northvolt
Priority of English
If IQ concludes a contract in English, this language generally takes precedence over French.
This principle is written in black and white in a contract concluded in October as part of the sale of the Quebec company H2O Innovation to the American group Ember, the Caisse de dépôt etplacement and IQ.
“This agreement has been drafted in English and translated into French. “The parties have signed the English and French versions of this agreement and irrevocably accept that in the event of a discrepancy between the two versions, the English version will prevail over the French one,” the documents signed by IQ and the Caisse said.
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