A relative of Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon accuses the Federal Minister for Innovation François-Philippe Champagne of not doing enough to develop the battery industry in Quebec, which he vehemently denies.
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In a post on LinkedIn, businessman Michel Ringuet, a former trustee of Pierre Fitzgibbon, lamented that no battery cell maker has yet made its choice in Quebec.
“As we talk and dream about it, Ontario outweighs us by attracting them one by one,” he wrote, saying that Quebec has “missed” the LG project “losing” those of Volkswagen and Tesla.
“All this under the supervision of our innovation minister, the Quebecois François-Philippe Champagne,” added Mr. Ringuet. We risk missing the boat for the next five decades. Exporting our natural resources without asking for anything in return will be of little consolation. »
Champagne fights back
Reached by Le Journal yesterday, Mr Champagne assured that there was no cold between him and Pierre Fitzgibbon.
“I think we talk to each other at least once a week,” he said.
“I would say to everyone, hold your breath because there are many things being discussed and Quebec is very well positioned,” he continued, noting that he speaks regularly to automotive industry executives.
“There’s not really competition between Quebec and Ontario. It’s all very complementary. There are things being done here, things being done in Ontario. And I have high hopes that Quebec will have its basement too. »
Last year, General Motors/POSCO and BASF announced their intention to locate in Bécancour to manufacture cathode active materials. However, the battery cells are manufactured elsewhere.
Fitzgibbon does not comment
Minister Champagne recalled that the real challenge was to counteract the generous American subsidies intended for industry.
Mathieu St-Amand, spokesman for Minister Fitzgibbon, did not respond to a request for comment from the Journal yesterday.
– With Philippe Langlois, agency QMI
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