Premier Philippe Couillard announced the details of Quebec’s maritime strategy on Monday, detailing a plan that will see $1.5 billion spent over the next five years.

The money was earmarked in the last budget, and aims to create jobs, improve the quality of life of residents along the seaway and bolster the maritime economy.

The plan anticipates the creation of 30,000 new jobs, most of which will be skilled labour.

To encourage training for these jobs, the government is creating a new course that will begin in the fall.

Key to the strategy is improving Montreal’s Old Port, especially infrastructure such as the roads surrounding it, to improve efficiency.

A major part of the plan calls for the creation of a maritime transportation logistics hub in Contrecoeur, about 60 kilometres north of Montreal, and another one in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, just west of the city.

During the announcement Couillard called the seaway a hidden jewel that needs to be better promoted.

“We are already linked to ports around the world,” he said. “It’s not enough known, even in Canada, that the port in Montreal is a sea port where containers can be handled, and we plan to make it even better known in the future.”

The government estimates that over 15 years, the project will cost $9 billion in both private and public money.

What is currently unclear is what part the federal government will play in Quebec's maritime plan, as the country's ports fall under federal jurisdiction.

Moreover, Ottawa will likely have to balance a competing claim from Halifax, which also has an important maritime sector.

Ottawa announced more than $130 million in January for renovations at the Port of Montreal, which is expected to receive more traffic once the free-trade deal between Canada and the European Union is finalized.

-- with files from The Canadian Press