Les Affaires newspaper and the National Bank join forces with small and medium companies in Quebec to boost their business projects

Montreal, February 11, 2005 – The weekly business newspaper Les Affaires and the National Bank of Canada announced today an exclusive linkup in the use of Carrefour PME, the new commercial distribution service for business projects and opportunities in Quebec launched by Les Affaires. This new service can be consulted directly in the newspaper or on the Web at www.lesaffaires.com/carrefourpme/.

“This agreement enables National Bank customers to take advantage of an interactive Web-based distribution tool to help them in the search for business partners,” says Yves Daoust, general manager of new media at Transcontinental Media. “In addition, Carrefour PME users will obtain direct access to the services offered by the National Bank to small and medium businesses and to entrepreneurs from every region of Quebec. We are extremely proud of this partnership.”

Carrefour PME, launched last December and accessible on the www.lesaffaires.com site, helps companies and entrepreneurs distribute information about their business projects and identify business advisers to get their projects started or moving ahead. A database containing the names of more than 1,000 consulting firms is available on the site.

“This linkup with Les Affaires and Carrefour PME forms part of our day-to-day efforts to promote business solutions among small businesses and entrepreneurs,” states Nicole Dumont, Vice-president of the National Bank’s INC. Business Solutions. “Carrefour PME is an interactive communications tool that will accelerate the creation of business partnerships. The National Bank will contribute actively to promoting this service among its customers to help in the search for complementary financing, distributors and strategic partners as well as in the sale or purchase of companies. We see Les Affaires as the reference among Quebec decision-makers.”

Les Affaires publisher Jean-Paul Gagné notes that “the newspaper is constantly innovating to build a presence where people need economic and financial information. Broadening the distribution of information about business projects and opportunities in Quebec doubtlessly fills a real need in helping companies do business more quickly. The agreement with the National Bank will help Carrefour PME boost business opportunities for small and medium companies in Quebec.”

For more information, please contact:

Yves Daoust
Transcontinental Medias
Consumers division
General Manager New Media
1100 René-Lévesque Blvd. West, 24th Floor, Montréal, QC H3B 4X9
Tel.: (514) 392-2003, Fax: (514) 392-4726, (cell.: (514) 233-9839)

Denis Dubé
Director, Public Relations
Banque Nationale
(514) 394-8644