Competitiveness and Environment Program - Component 1

• Financial aid covers up to 60% of eligible project expenses, to a maximum of $100,000 per applicant for this program component.
• Additional funding of up to 10% is possible for projects meeting ministerial or governmental priorities.
• Applicants must provide a minimum private contribution of 20% of eligible expenses.
• Total public aid (provincial and federal, including tax credits and direct subsidies) must not exceed 60% of eligible costs, or 70% for projects meeting specific priorities, and up to 90% for projects linked to installing a humane pork slaughter line in federally inspected slaughterhouses.

• The company must be registered with the Quebec Enterprise Register (Registre des entreprises du Québec) and hold a valid permit or license relevant to the transformation of dairy or meat products (e.g., abattoir permit, meat product wholesale permit, federal abattoir license, or dairy plant operating permit).
• Applicants may also include specialized animal transport companies serving agricultural enterprises, provided they are registered with the Quebec Enterprise Register and meet program definitions.
• The applicant must submit all required documentation, including a completed application form, financial statements, a financing plan, and, if applicable, a valid permit or license.
• The proposed project must support the use of external expertise or competency development, specifically aimed at improving the company’s competitiveness or environmental footprint in the dairy and meat processing sectors.

Who is eligible?

• Dairy processing companies registered in the Quebec Enterprise Register holding a valid dairy plant operating permit
• Meat processing companies registered in the Quebec Enterprise Register holding one of the following valid permits: abattoir (proximity or permanent inspection), wholesale meat sales (C1) with majority of production from provincially inspected abattoirs, or federal animal slaughter license
• Companies specializing in the transport of animals for agricultural enterprises and registered in the Quebec Enterprise Register
• Promoters as defined in the program

Who is not eligible

• Companies listed in the Register of Enterprises Ineligible for Public Contracts (RENA).
• Enterprises whose administrators or directors are linked to a company listed in the RENA.
• Applicants who, in the two years prior to the financial aid request, failed to meet their obligations after a formal notice regarding a previous financial aid granted by the Ministry.

Eligible expenses

• Fees for engaging external experts.
• External training costs.
• Acquisition and development of specialized software.
• Travel and accommodation expenses for the applicant, subject to government rates.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• Relevance of the project in relation to improving competitiveness or environmental impact.
• Applicant’s technical, organizational, administrative, and financial capacity to successfully complete the project.
• Realism of the financing plan.
• Competence of the external expertise dedicated to project implementation.

• Step 1: Prepare Required Documents
  • Complete and sign the financial assistance application form.
  • Fill out the project financing plan (Annex 1) related to your request.
  • Gather the latest externally verified, reviewed, or compiled financial statements by a CPA, or other documents that demonstrate your financial situation (such as a personal balance sheet, latest tax report, projected or interim financial statements, proof of financing sources, etc.).
  • Obtain the external expertise’s service offer.
  • Provide a valid permit or license proving eligibility, if required.
  • Download all necessary forms and documentation from the program’s official webpage.
• Step 2: Submit Application
  • Send all mandatory documents by email to transfo@mapaq.gouv.qc.ca.
• Step 3: Acknowledgement of Receipt
  • Receive an email confirmation acknowledging receipt of your complete application for financial assistance.
• Step 4: Application Review for Completeness (Recevabilité)
  • Your application is checked for completeness. If all required information is present, a letter of acceptance of completeness is sent and processing continues.
  • If information is missing, you will be asked to submit a new application during the next call for projects.
• Step 5: Eligibility Assessment
  • The project and applicant are evaluated for eligibility. If deemed eligible, your application moves to the next step.
  • If not eligible, you will receive a letter stating the reason for ineligibility.
• Step 6: Financial Analysis
  • A financial assessment is performed based on financial documents submitted with the application.
• Step 7: Project Analysis & Selection
  • The project is reviewed and analyzed on the basis of selection criteria, such as the project’s relevance and impact on competitiveness or environmental footprint, technical and organizational capacities, and the expertise involved.
  • If accepted, you receive a letter with the amount of financial aid offered and a document detailing the conditions and disbursement terms, to be signed and returned.
  • If refused, you receive a letter outlining the reasons for the rejection.
• Step 8: Disbursement of Financial Aid
  • Financial aid is disbursed as per the terms and conditions stated, upon submission of all required supporting documents.
• Step 9: Claim and Project Completion
  • After project completion, submit a project report and final payment claim to the Ministry.
  • Ensure all claimed expenditures are justified with invoices and retain all supporting documents for five years.
• Step 10: Appeal Process (if applicable)
  • If you wish to appeal an evaluation decision, do so within 30 days of the decision date using the appeal form available on the program’s website.

• Only expenses incurred after the official acknowledgment of receipt (date of application deposit) are eligible, subject to project admissibility.
• All invoices and supporting documents must be retained for five years following project completion.
• A claims process for final payment requires submission of a project summary and final payment request to the Ministry.
• An appeal of any evaluation decision may be filed within 30 days using the official program form.