The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has welcomed the Quebec government’s announcement introducing the first ever Quebec Maritime Strategy. The announcement was made Monday at the Iberville cruise terminal, where the Port of Montreal welcomes every year tens of thousands of cruise passengers.

The MPA said it is thrilled by the government’s commitment to support the marine industry with more than $1.5 billion in investments, along with its commitment to sustainably develop the marine economy.

“On behalf of the MPA, I enthusiastically welcome this first ever Quebec Maritime Strategy, that I believe marks a turning point for our industry,” stated Sylvie Vachon, president and CEO of the MPA. “This strategy will strengthen the collaborative efforts already underway between marine industry and supply chain players to develop concrete projects that generate economic benefits through the best environmental and social practices.”

Since the Quebec government expressed its intention to adopt a comprehensive maritime strategy, industry stakeholders, including the MPA, were consulted to help build the strategy. At the core of its brief, the MPA argued that the maritime strategy must ultimately stimulate traffic growth, an objective that the MPA has adopted in its own strategic plan.

“I am convinced that the interest and attentiveness shown by the Quebec Government in the marine industry, combined with the know-how of industry members and the opportunities available to us, will lead to noticeable positive results not only for the growth of marine traffic but also for the economic development of the province as a whole,” added Vachon.