QUÉBEC : Risques et opportunités de la transition mondiale vers la carboneutralité

Québec is well-positioned for the energy transition due to its low-cost, low-carbon electricity and a mature mining sector for critical minerals. However, the province faces significant challenges, including a high public debt-to-GDP ratio of 45% (2020-2021), a shortage of skilled labor in clean-tech SMEs, and the need to rebuild trust with Indigenous peoples for new large-scale projects. While the province has a strong ecosystem of transition-supporting companies—particularly in electric transport and industrial transition—it faces intense global competition from the US, EU, and China, and its firms often secure less capital at each funding stage compared to US counterparts.

• Québec possesses several competitive advantages for the energy transition, including some of the cheapest and most abundant low-carbon electricity in Canada, a mature mining sector for critical and strategic minerals (such as lithium, graphite, and cobalt), and a long-standing cap-and-trade program.
• The province's fiscal position may hinder its transition readiness, as it has one of Canada's highest public debts relative to its economy, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 45% in 2020-2021.
• Economic vulnerability is concentrated in specific sectors and regions; approximately 50% of Québec's exports come from sectors vulnerable to the transition, including transport equipment manufacturing (19%) and primary metal smelting (16%).
• Québec has a growing ecosystem of transition-supporting companies, with 133 headquartered in the province. The most active areas for investment are industrial transition (25%), low-carbon electricity (19%), and bioproducts and bioenergy (17%).
• Labor shortages are a critical barrier, particularly for clean-tech SMEs that struggle to recruit technical specialists and senior management with combined scientific and managerial skills.
• Québec's electric and intelligent transport companies face a funding gap compared to peers; only 33% of Québec firms reach Series A funding, compared to 75% of US firms.
• The deployment of large-scale projects, such as hydroelectricity and energy transmission lines, is slowed by a lack of trust from Indigenous peoples due to the negative impacts of past projects.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (n.d.). QUÉBEC : Risques et opportunités de la transition mondiale vers la carboneutralité. https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Quebec-profile-FR.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. QUÉBEC : Risques et opportunités de la transition mondiale vers la carboneutralité. n.d. https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Quebec-profile-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=QUÉBEC : Risques et opportunités de la transition mondiale vers la carboneutralité |url=https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Quebec-profile-FR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitutendqubec, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{QUÉBEC : Risques et opportunités de la transition mondiale vers la carboneutralité}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, url = {https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Quebec-profile-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }