Efforts to showcase Canadian technology are intensifying as a coalition of companies and organizations initiates a summit to promote enterprise procurement of Canadian products.
The first Source Canada conference will occur in Toronto on Oct. 22, bringing together 150 CEOs and 50 enterprise buyers for meetings and workshops.
“This conference is about accelerating momentum: when private companies purchase Canadian tech, they create an impact that extends beyond the contract.” – Raymond Luk, founder, Source Canada
Primary sponsors include OMERS Ventures, RBCx, and Deloitte, with additional support from TMX, the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), NGen, York University’s Schulich School of Business, Aptum, Highline Beta, and Luge Capital.
Source Canada founder Raymond Luk, a senior advisor and “founder in residence” at Deloitte, stated that Canada’s private sector is an “untapped driver of growth.” He noted that the country allocates 1.9 percent of its GDP to research and development, below the average of countries tracked by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
“This conference is about accelerating the flywheel: when private companies buy Canadian tech, they create an impact that goes far beyond the contract,” Luk reiterated.
Before Deloitte, Luk was recognized for founding Flow, a consulting firm focused on raising non-dilutive funding for the Canadian tech sector, claiming the largest collection of high-growth startups. Deloitte acquired Flow in January 2024, integrating its 15-person team into its Global Innovation and Investment Incentives practice, with Luk continuing to support startups.
The Source Canada advisory board features OMERS Ventures managing director Laura Lenz, CCI director Skaidra Puodziunas, RBCx senior director Shikha Bhuchar, and Luge Capital co-founder David Nault, among others.
The summit plans emerge amidst growing pressure to reduce reliance on American technology due to a tariff-driven trade conflict with the US. Industry initiatives are already underway to promote local tech, such as the policy platform Build Canada. Telecom companies Bell and Telus advocate for more sovereign data centers, though their facilities still heavily depend on American products.
The event follows increased government procurement of Canadian-made technologies. Recently, federal officials signed an agreement with Toronto-based Cohere to explore the use of its AI systems in the public sector. Sovra also divested non-core businesses to concentrate on government technology.
Feature image courtesy of Marcin Skalij on Unsplash.