Justin Trudeau at the opening of electric transport summit in Montreal

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a brief speech Monday morning at the opening of IMPULSION, the International Summit on Electric and Intelligent Transportation (TEI), which is being held until Wednesday March at Montreal's Palais des Congrès.

The prime minister welcomed the 1,200 guests, including several foreign business leaders, and said that his "government continues to position Canada as a leader in clean energy, including in electric vehicle transportation."

Trudeau said, "Canada has moved from fifth to second place in the world in the lithium-ion battery supply chain," and praised his government's investments in this sector, referring in particular to the aid granted to Rio Tinto in Sorel last October.

The investment, which could reach $222 million, was granted to enable the company to increase its production of critical minerals and decarbonize its Sorel plant.

"By making the strategic investments, by creating the parameters and conditions for this success, we were able to create something that is the envy of the world," he said.

Trudeau highlighted the contribution of certain companies in the energy transition, such as Flo/AddÉnergie, which manufactures charging stations for electric vehicles in Mauricie, and the vehicle manufacturer Lion Électrique of Saint-Jérôme.

• READ MORE: Electric or bust: A snapshot of recent EV and battery announcements in Quebec and Ontario

The summit is aimed at commercial and institutional fleet managers, buyers and investors, manufacturing and industrial companies and politicians.

"To all the leaders in this room today, my message is simple: together, we can accomplish a lot," said Trudeau.

Federal ministers François-Philippe Champagne and Pascale St-Onge, as well as provincial ministers Pierre Fitzgibbon and Benoit Charrette are among the many elected officials participating in the summit.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 13, 2023.