The purpose of this article is to provide clarification on the accessibility of the Emergency assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises program. 

The Emergency Assistance for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses program set up by the Government of Quebec is intended to support, for a limited period of time, eligible businesses that are experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID-19 and that need cash flow of less than $50,000.  

This assistance program is managed by the same organization that manages the Local Investment Fund (FLI) in your RCM. To have access to it, a business must therefore contact this organization or the nearest municipal office, as the case may be.  

For Indigenous businesses located in communities, access to this program varies from one region to another. Indeed, Indigenous communities are excluded from the territory of the RCMs. After verification with the government, the FNQLEDC obtained confirmation that the RCMs are therefore under no obligation to offer the program to businesses located on community land.  

However, in many cases, the RCMs serve the communities without any problems. In order to get an accurate picture of the situation in your community, the simplest thing to do would be to contact the management of your RCM to obtain their position on the subject.   

To consult other articles concerning the aid programs announced by the governments, we invite you to consult our COVID-19 section.