CCI Statement on Federal Buy Canadian Mandate

Today Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a sweeping set of policy measures to strengthen the Canadian economy, and respond to the ongoing American trade war. Of particular note for CCI, the government has embraced a "Buy Canadian" policy for federal government procurement. In response to the announcement, CCI President Benjamin Bergen issued the following statement on behalf of our members:

"For years, CCI has been saying that government procurement is the most important economic tool available to policymakers, and in today’s announcement we see Prime Minister Carney agrees with that assessment. If the ‘Buy Canadian’ measures announced today are fully implemented in a sustained way, it will be a turning point for Canada in prioritizing the economic value of homegrown Canadian companies.

"In the 21st century, software companies and digital platforms play a key role in capturing economic value, and we have been encouraged by the government’s rhetoric about digital sovereignty. However, we were disappointed to see the government defaulting to American software platforms like Indeed and ZipRecruiter for job support services, when Canadian companies like FutureFit AI, We Know Training, Bluedrop, Talent.com, and Plum are equipped to offer similar services.

"Ultimately the measure of success will be whether scaling Canadian companies are able to sell their services to government. The commitment to streamline procurement processes is exactly what CCI called for in our landmark Buying Ideas policy report last year, and the ‘Buy Canadian’ ethos is the right mindset for implementing these reforms.

"We will be able to judge the success or failure of these policies based on who actually wins the contracts, and whether government purchasing is supporting the growth of innovative Canadian companies."

Media Contact

James McLeod
Director of Communications
jmcleod@canadianinnovators.org