2026 B.C. Election Primer: What Innovators Need to Scale

British Columbia enters the 2026 provincial election with an opportunity to build on its economic strengths and create the conditions for more homegrown technology companies to scale and remain headquartered in the province.

Technology already contributes nearly 10 per cent of provincial gross domestic product and supports high-value growth across British Columbia. At the same time, major investments in critical minerals, energy, trade infrastructure and resource development are creating new opportunities to strengthen the province’s economy.

Realizing that potential will require more than investments in physical infrastructure. British Columbia must also recognize the value of intellectual property, data and proprietary technologies and create an environment where companies built around these assets can grow.

Today, the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is releasing What B.C.’s Innovators Need to Scale, a policy blueprint outlining five actions the next provincial government should take to strengthen the province’s innovation economy.

Developed with input from technology leaders across British Columbia, the recommendations focus on using provincial policy to create customers for Canadian companies, encourage investment and commercialization, connect local technologies with major projects, attract global talent and improve wildfire resilience.

As political parties develop their platforms, they should prioritize policies that:

1. Scale Canadian Technology Companies Through Innovation Procurement

• Implement an innovation procurement policy that recognizes where research and development takes place, intellectual property is held, data is controlled and strategic decisions are made.
• Establish a B.C. Innovation Procurement Hub that moves successful pilots into full-scale government contracts.

2. Implement Tax Incentives That Help Innovators Scale and Stay in British Columbia

• Expand the proposed life sciences patent box into a broader Innovation Box covering trade secrets, software and data assets.
• Use tax policy to encourage the commercialization and retention of intellectual property in British Columbia.
• Advocate for a federal Growth and Scale-Up Tax that would allow qualifying Canadian companies to amortize acquisition costs as goodwill over five years.

3. Embed Innovation in Government-Funded Infrastructure and Resource Projects

• Establish a Public Infrastructure Innovation Mandate for government-funded projects above a defined threshold.
• Require bidders to demonstrate how Canadian technologies such as sensors, software, artificial intelligence, robotics and environmental monitoring will be integrated into project supply chains.
• Extend these expectations to private sector projects receiving provincial support through tax benefits, accelerated permitting or strategic partnerships.
• Ensure the next generation of major projects creates meaningful opportunities for Canadian technology companies.

4. Attract Global Talent Through Engineers and Geoscientists BC Licensing Reform

• Remove unnecessary licensing barriers affecting software engineers and other technology roles that do not carry the public-safety risks professional engineering regulation was designed to address.
• Bring British Columbia’s approach in line with competing jurisdictions that have already removed this barrier.
• Make it easier for technology companies to attract international talent and create high-value jobs in the province.

5. Establish a Wildfire Innovation Fund

• Create a $100-million fund jointly supported by the provincial and federal governments.
• Give local governments and First Nations access to funding to procure proven Canadian technologies for wildfire prevention and suppression.
• Support British Columbia’s growing wildfire technology companies while improving cost predictability and community protection.

The 2026 election gives every political party an opportunity to put innovation at the centre of its economic plan and ensure more of the value created in British Columbia remains in the province.

To discuss CCI’s recommendations for British Columbia, contact Kiersten Enemark, Director of B.C. Affairs for CCI.

About the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI)

The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is Canada’s business council for the 21st century economy. We are a collective of over 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing and most ambitious companies, and the founders, CEOs, and executives behind them, working together to improve the business conditions that help more homegrown companies scale, compete globally, and drive long-term prosperity. Learn more at canadianinnovators.org.