Ontario’s 2025 Spring Legislative Session, and the Stakes for Homegrown Innovation

As the Ontario Legislature adjourns for summer recess, one fact is increasingly hard to ignore: the province needs a deliberate shift in economic strategy.

The Ford government continues to govern like innovation is a future concern, not the economic engine it already is. The government is continuing to prioritize short-term foreign direct investment (FDI) over long-term domestic wealth creation. And despite compelling announcements related to critical minerals processing, Ontario still hasn’t done enough to seize the mining innovation opportunity and build out a cohesive strategy to turn Ontario’s raw materials, ideas and data into sustained economic strength.

And then there are the tariffs. Trade policies, particularly in the U.S., have permanently altered the economic landscape. The Ford government has done plenty to put forward policies to “Protect Ontario” but these efforts will not deliver long term results if Ontario scale-up innovators aren’t in focus. These are the companies that are driving IP generation, high-value exports, and job creation.

Only a few months ago, 75 CEOs signed an open letter to Premier Ford at the start of this legislative session: Ontario still needs a bold plan to support homegrown companies through smart procurement, targeted investment, and strong domestic capacity-building.

Here’s what the spring session revealed—and where it fell short.

Little progress on Cyber, AI, and Data Governance

Ontario’s Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024 which we testified before committee on last fall came into effect and then quickly disappeared out of focus this spring legislative session. The only tangible momentum we saw on the file was the publication of the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence Directive, a legally non-binding document which sets requirements for transparent, responsible and accountable use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the Government of Ontario.

We continue to stress to all government officials the importance of flexible standards-based regulatory models, and creating frameworks to engage and adopt homegrown innovation.

Health Innovation Pathways

Ontario introduced the Primary Care Act, 2025, outlining six key objectives to strengthen the province’s publicly funded primary care system which include: ensuring care that is accessible, connected, timely, inclusive, digitally empowered, and community-responsive. To realize this bold and welcome vision, we need smart, responsive solutions that people can trust and pathways for domestic innovators to contribute.

That’s why we’ve been eager to see Ontario’s Health Innovation Pathway (HIP) launch. Intended to streamline the process for Ontario hospitals and health networks to adopt new technologies, HIP has the potential to transform how the province purchases and scales health innovation. But as the spring legislative session winds down, the government has been silent on this program.

This isn't just a missed policy update—it's a missed chance to tackle one of Ontario’s most significant economic challenges: public procurement.

What We Need: Urgency, Not Incrementalism

Ontario’s innovators are not looking for subsidies—they’re looking for a fair shot. They want a government that prioritizes strategic domestic investment over foreign dependence. One that sees public procurement as economic policy, not red tape.

CCI was encouraged by certain commitments in Budget 2025—like the Venture Ontario expansion—but the overall posture remains reactive, not visionary.

Our members are building Ontario’s economic future. The question is: will the province help them scale it here—or watch it grow somewhere else?

To connect with CCI’s Ontario advocacy team, reach out to Skaidra Puodžiūnas at spuodziunas@canadianinnovators.org.

About the Council of Canadian Innovators

The Council of Canadian Innovators is a national member-based organization reshaping how governments across Canada think about innovation policy and supporting homegrown scale-ups to drive prosperity. CCI represents over 150 of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies. Our members are the CEOs, founders, and executives behind Canada’s most successful scale-ups in health tech, cleantech, fintech, cybersecurity, and AI. We advocate for policies that increase access to skilled talent, strategic capital, and new customers—fueling Canadian innovation at scale.

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