2026 Quebec Election Primer: What Innovators Need To Scale

As Quebec prepares to head to the polls this October, the province stands at an important economic crossroads. Rising healthcare and infrastructure costs, slowing productivity, demographic pressures, and growing global competition are placing increasing strain on Quebec's economy. At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and the race for economic sovereignty are reshaping how jurisdictions compete for investment, talent, and long-term growth.

Quebec is home to world-class research institutions, globally recognized expertise in artificial intelligence, and an expanding community of innovative technology companies building products used around the world. Yet despite these advantages, Quebec's innovation ecosystem lacks the policy frameworks needed to support the next generation of global innovation.

Today, the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), Canada's business council for the 21st century economy, is releasing What Quebec Innovators Need to Scale, a policy blueprint outlining the actions the next provincial government should take to strengthen Quebec's innovation economy and help homegrown companies scale into global winners. As political parties finalize their election platforms, they have an opportunity to adopt policies that will strengthen Quebec's long-term prosperity by ensuring the province's most innovative businesses can grow, compete, and remain headquartered in Quebec.

Drawing on extensive consultation with Quebec's leading technology CEOs and founders, CCI has identified the policy reforms that will have the greatest impact on the province's innovation economy. These recommendations focus on removing structural barriers to growth while using the policy levers available to the provincial government to build domestic capability, strengthen economic resilience, and create high-quality jobs across Quebec.

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

1. Strengthen Quebec's Talent Advantage

• Create a dedicated fast-track immigration stream for workers hired by Quebec-based scale-ups.
• Expand tuition exemptions and strengthen pathways to permanent residency for international STEM graduates.
• Modernize language policy by reducing compliance burdens on growing companies while continuing to support French language integration.

2. Unlock Capital for High-Growth Companies

• Introduce a Quebec Innovation Venture Capital Tax Credit to mobilize private investment.
• Accelerate approval timelines for innovation tax credits and reduce administrative burden.
• Support strategic sectors through targeted incentives that encourage domestic commercialization and production.

3. Use Government Procurement to Build Quebec Companies

• Replace lowest-cost procurement with a total-value approach that recognizes innovation, economic impact, and local content.
• Create a dedicated innovation procurement office and simplify access for scaling companies.
• Modernize procurement and compliance requirements so emerging technology companies can compete for government business.

4. Build Marketplace Frameworks for the Modern Economy

• Strengthen intellectual property retention by making commercialization incentives work for scaling companies.
• Develop a provincial digital sovereignty strategy that supports Quebec-controlled infrastructure and protects sensitive data.
• Accelerate AI commercialization by aligning tax incentives, expanding compute capacity, and supporting adoption by growth-stage firms.

Quebec has already invested heavily in building one of the world's strongest innovation ecosystems. The next step is ensuring those investments translate into globally competitive companies that create jobs, retain intellectual property, and generate long-term economic value here at home.

This election presents an opportunity to move beyond supporting research alone and adopt policies that help Quebec companies scale. Doing so will strengthen productivity, improve economic resilience, and ensure the technologies shaping the future are built, commercialized, and owned in Quebec.

The message from Quebec's innovators is clear: the province has the talent, ideas, and ambition to lead. Now it needs a policy framework that allows homegrown companies to grow into global champions.

To discuss CCI's policy recommendations for Quebec's innovation economy, contact Jean-François Harvey, Director of Quebec Affairs for CCI, at jfharvey@canadianinnovators.org.
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About the Council of Canadian Innovators

The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) represents more than 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies. Founded in 2015, CCI advocates for policies that help Canadian innovators scale globally, create prosperity at home, and strengthen Canada’s economic sovereignty.