CED Decentralization: Minister Lebel Announces the Move of a Part of the Agency's Headquarters in Quebec City


QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Sept. 12, 2013) - In a speech delivered at the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Québec, the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec (CED), the Honourable Denis Lebel, announced this morning that CED headquarters will be decentralized and that the majority of civil servants working for the Agency will be regionally based.

Up to 50 employees of the Agency's policy and communications division will be relocated in Quebec City and paired with the current CED regional office in order to create a new place of business. This relocation will take place in 2017. Discussions with Public Works and Government Services Canada will take place in the coming months to determine in which building the new office will be located. The Agency is already present in the province of Quebec with 12 offices across the province. This relocation will allow the Agency to consolidate and increase its presence in the regions.

"Our Government has decided to decentralize the headquarters of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec so that development decisions will be made regionally" said Minister Lebel. "After the move, close to 60% of employees will be working outside Montreal's headquarters. This will help bring the civil servants who develop and manage economic development programs closer to the field where those decisions have an impact."

The mission of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec is "to promote the long term economic development of the regions of Quebec." It is the main federal stakeholder in the economic development of the regions of Quebec. It helps businesses and economic contributors in the development process and allocates the funding required to carry out projects.

Contact Information:

Marie-Josee Paquette
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
514-496-1282
Marie-Josee.Paquette@miga-maig.gc.ca