Ottawa Policy Summit

2017

Oct. 23-25, 2017, the Canadian members of the Technology Councils of North American (TECNA) held a successful Policy Summit in Ottawa. The goal of the Policy Summit was to convene a collaborative discussion on the opportunities that would further Canada’s Innovation Agenda, support the scaling of technology firms and build sustainable ecosystems in all regions of Canada.

The TECNA-convened, Summit included substantive discussions with representatives from several Canadian government departments including: Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED); NRC-IRAP; Global Affairs Canada; Business Development Canada, Export Development Corporation; Employment Services and Development Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; Finance Canada; Public Works and Procurement Canada; and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Seven TECNA member councils participated in the Summit in 2017 and discussed a wide range of important policy issues with government representatives including: access to capital, procurement, accelerator and incubator programs, talent development and the Global Skills Strategy, tax incentives and reform, and an update on NAFTA negotiations.