Kateri Champagne Jourdain, Quebec's Minister of Employment, at the Ghislain Dufour Business Forum

On Monday, June 19, the Ghislain Dufour Business Forum welcomed Kateri Champagne Jourdain, Member of the National Assembly of Québec representing Duplessis and Minister of Employment.

Before joining the National Assembly, Champagne Jourdain worked for the Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam Nation, the Arnaud mine and Boralex. The Minister broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first Aboriginal woman to join the Quebec government's cabinet. She brings a wealth of relevant experience to the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).

Our guest reiterated the challenges facing Quebec in terms of employment. Despite the dynamism of employment—Montreal has the lowest unemployment rate since 2006—many fields still require the recruitment of workers. The Minister explained that solutions to this situation are within reach, and that employers need to be helped to broaden their horizons in terms of recruitment pools. In her view, we need to deconstruct stereotypes about certain populations and give companies tools in the form of job placement programs or programs to adapt certain segments of the population to promote better recruitment.

Minister Champagne-Jourdain reiterates that productivity remains a major challenge. We must continue to increase it through ongoing training initiatives for companies that need it, in every possible field. She concluded her address to the Forum by asserting that employment issues are complex, and that everyone needs to pitch in if Quebec is to continue to prosper.