CCI Statement on Newfoundland and Labrador’s New Cabinet
October 29, 2025
Earlier today, Premier Tony Wakeham announced his new provincial cabinet, marking the beginning of his government’s mandate and his tenure as Newfoundland and Labrador’s 16th Premier.
In response to the new cabinet, the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) — Canada’s 21st-century business association — issued the following statement on behalf of innovators in the region:
"Premier Wakeham has emphasized that his government’s focus will be on prosperity for all Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans. To achieve that vision, Newfoundland and Labrador must strengthen its innovation economy and create the conditions for scaling homegrown companies.”
— Benjamin Bergen, President of the Council of Canadian Innovators
“CCI looks forward to working with Minister Paddock on advancing economic growth, strengthening rural opportunity, and attracting and retaining top talent to Newfoundland and Labrador. By empowering homegrown companies, we can create lasting prosperity, build strong communities, and ensure innovators from every region of the province have a seat at the table — provincially, nationally, and globally.”
— Karen Moores, Senior Advisor for Atlantic Canada
Ahead of the 2025 election, CCI released What Newfoundland and Labrador’s Innovators Need to Scale — a policy brief outlining practical steps for the provincial government to strengthen its innovation economy. The roadmap sets out how the new Premier and cabinet can help scaling, homegrown firms thrive by ensuring access to talent, growth capital, domestic customers, and modern regulatory frameworks that protect their most valuable assets — data and intellectual property.
CCI looks forward to working with Premier Wakeham and his team to turn these priorities into action and position Newfoundland and Labrador as a leader in Canada’s innovation-driven economy.
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About the Council of Canadian Innovators
The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is a national member-based organization reshaping how governments across Canada think about innovation policy, and supporting homegrown scale-ups to drive prosperity.
Established in 2015, CCI represents and works with over 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies. Our members are the CEOs, founders, and top senior executives behind some of Canada’s most successful ‘scale-up’ companies. All our members are job and wealth creators, investors, philanthropists, and experts in their fields of healthtech, cleantech, fintech, cybersecurity, AI and digital transformation. Companies in our portfolio are market leaders in their verticals, commercialize their technologies in over 190 countries, and generate between $10M - $750M in annual revenue. We advocate on their behalf for government strategies that increase their access to skilled talent, strategic capital, and new customers, as well as expanded freedom to operate for their global pursuits of scale.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, CCI members include: BluedropISM, ClearRisk, Enaimco, Fonemed, Genoa Design International, Keyin College, Killick Capital, Milk Moovement, Seafair Capital, Solace, and Tiller Engineering.
Learn more about our members and our initiatives at www.canadianinnovators.org.
Media Contact:
James McLeod
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