Budget 2026: everything, everywhere, all at once

The federal government’s budget “about entrepreneurs” is here.

Refinements to Canada’s defence and dual-use strategy—including aerospace, quantum, and drones—and globally competitive tax incentives all appeared as expected. Continuing on recent sovereign AI investments, the feds also committed to supplying 500 MW worth of compute for Canadian tech companies.

“It’s pretty clear the government has gone down a lot of the laundry lists from businesses and entrepreneurs and just said, ‘OK, well, what if we do all of the above?’”
Jaxson Khan,
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

That’s not to say Budget 2026 is without surprises. It introduced a massive reorganization of the nation’s Crown corporations, including the planned merger of the two most familiar to Canadian tech: BDC and EDC. While the decision has been publicly welcomed, BetaKit was told that BDC employees attending SAAS NORTH collectively gasped upon learning the news.

It’s a lot. Twenty months into office, Prime Minister Mark Carney has consistently demonstrated a willingness to not only change Canadians’ relationship to myriad key sectors of industry, but also the government itself. Budget 2026 shows a federal government trying to do everything, everywhere, all at once. How is that going to work out?

Sound the alarm, BetaKit‘s Policy Power Panel has once again assembled to talk prioritization, efficacy, and sweat the details. Featuring: Laurent Carbonneau (Council of Canadian Innovators), Jaxson Khan (Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy), and Vass Bednar (Canadian Shield Institute).

Related Links:

PRESENTED BY

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Float.

See how Float brings cards, bill pay and international payments together on our website.

Feature image courtesy François-Philippe Champagne via X.