Tech CEOs from 132 companies demand ‘bold’ prosperity strategy in letter to Trudeau

More than 130 Canadian tech leaders are calling on the prime minister to create a prosperity plan because they say the country won’t excel without support for innovators and the government has been slow to offer help.

The leaders say in a letter they sent to Justin Trudeau today that they were encouraged when he took office in 2015 by his interest in supporting tech entrepreneurs, but in the years since, they say innovation is barely mentioned by his government.

Among the CEOs who signed the letter are Dax Dasilva from Lightspeed POS Inc., Allen Lau from Wattpad, Michael Serbinis from League, Kevin Edwards from SkipTheDishes and Cherif Habib from Dialogue Inc.

The leaders say Trudeau has focused more on a patchwork of pilot programs and furtive policies rolled out in hopes that they will collectively amount to something significant, but they would prefer he have a bold and cohesive plan for innovation.

The execs say they are frustrated that they are still waiting for the creation of a national data strategy, the rollout of a national intellectual property plan and implementation of the recommendations from several economic tables.

The letter also calls for a government prosperity plan to include strategic investments in businesses on track for success, help commercializing Canadian ideas, creation of an ecosystem where innovators can grow at home and abroad, and development of processes around IP and data.

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