Frequently Asked Questions

1. If I have to enter my business as an SME or as a Big Business, based on the number of employees, should I count my seasonal, temporary and part-time employees?

• A) In order for an employees to be considered as full-time, they must work a minimum of 28 hours per week. Any employee who does not work this number of hours does not have to be included in your employee calculations.
• B) If your company’s mission requires recruitment of seasonal workers, those workers must be entered along with the number of your full-time employees.

2. Can a company submit an application file if it won a Mercure Award in the last 3 years?

• A company cannot apply in any category won over the past 3 years. However, it can submit an application for any other categories.

3. Is my business eligible if…

• A) ...the company’s head office is not located in Quebec?
   
  Yes, provided that the strategy presented in the candidate file was not established by a head office located outside Quebec.
• B) ...the company is a nonprofit organization (NPO)?
   
  Yes, depending on its source of revenue. For a business to be eligible, its independent revenue must represent more than 50% of its total revenues. In other words, any subsidies and tax credits that it received during the last year may not count for 50% or more of its total revenue.
• C) ...the business has been in existence for only 2 years?
   
  A business must have 3 years on its books in order to show its financial soundness in the relevant appendix.

4. What do you mean by a private sector business?

By a “private sector business” we mean a company whose capital shares are held mainly by one or more persons (physical or moral) who are part of civil society. Its capital may be open (e.g. a company whose shares are listed on the stock market) or closed (when its shares are held by a limited number of persons).

5. Are any membership fees required in order to enter?

• No fee is required to enter or submit a candidate application.

• Page layout:
  Format: 8½ X 11 in.
  Loose sheets
  Maximum 20 pages
  Number of copies: 4
  
• Attachments:
  The identification form for your candidate application
  A corporate signature on CD. Format: Photoshop (.eps) or Illustrator (.ai)

7. In what form may we submit appendices, and how many are we allowed?

• We accept appendices in electronic form only on CD.

8. What letters attesting to the business’s financial soundness will you accept?

• We will accept a letter or letters from:
      - Your company’s accounting department
      - A bank
      - An accounting firm

9. What costs are associated with the Gala evening?

• The cost of 1 place at the Gala is $350.

10. What sort of dress is required at the Gala and Mercuriades presentation?

• Dress code is formal wear:
      MEN: Jacket and tie
      WOMEN: Dress or suit