Carmaker strives to be part of province’s social fabric

In Quebec, Ford is a significant supporter of cultural events, general manager says

Ford may be in the business of selling cars, but they want to be known for more than that, said the company’s general manager for Quebec, Bertrand Lessard.

The company wants to be part of the social fabric of the province, he said, and is putting its financial clout to good use in Quebec.

Ford is a big supporter of cultural events here, Lessard said.

Some of the events the company is involved with include the FrancoFolies, Face à face des célébrités and the Festival western de St-Tite. Ford is also a partner with the Montreal Canadiens, a team that Lessard said is definitely a part of the culture in Quebec despite it being only a hockey team.

“These aren’t just sponsorships anymore,” Lessard said, adding that the money the company spends on these events could just as easily have been diverted to advertising. “We have decided instead to be present with the culture in Quebec.”

The automaker has been a sponsor of the FrancoFolies for 13 years, said Lessard, who is especially proud of an offshoot of the festival called the concours L’Étoile montante (The Rising Star).

“This allows young talent from across the province to come and sing, and the end result is the four finalists on the stage of the FrancoFolies, in front of 50,000 to 60,000 people,” Lessard said. “I had a chance to give the prize to the winner last year and I can tell you, these young talents, when they sing in front of this many people, you can see the goosebumps. It’s incredible the effect it has.”

The Face à face des célébrités — which is an extension of Ford’s longtime association with the Canadiens — allowed the company to raise $105,000 for the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.

The charity event takes at the Bell Centre and pits two teams of Quebec celebrities against each other for a good cause.

“We have a triple winner by this event,” Lessard said. “We love our stars and we love hockey. And plus we did that at the Bell Centre and we sell the tickets at $7.50 each, with all the money going to the charity. But it allows some people to make a family event at the Bell Centre, which in some cases they couldn’t afford to do otherwise.

“It’s fun to see that some families came there and spent the whole afternoon watching their favourite stars play hockey. You can see the kids, sometimes they don’t see the game because they are just looking around (the Bell Centre) to see what it is.”

With the NHL lockout over, Lessard said the plans for the second annual event are on track for April 7, when teams will take to the Bell Centre ice for another charity game.

“We are proud to be able to be part of that,” Lessard said. “We want people to realize we have been in Quebec for more than 100 years. We are a manufacturer and we are selling cars and we are there to make money, that’s true. But we are not only that.”