The recently named Industry and Innovation Ministers of Canada, Mélanie Joly and Evan Solomon, are now among the members of Build Canada. No, not that one.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has established a cabinet committee with the same name as the policy platform Build Canada. Cabinet committees carry out most of the day-to-day work of the Cabinet, with their own members and areas of responsibilities set by the Prime Minister.
The Build Canada committee “considers issues relating to building a strong economy that positions Canada to be competitive and productive,” according to the Prime Minister’s office. “This includes considering issues around housing, infrastructure investments, climate action, Indigenous economic prosperity, and other measures to increase Canada’s economic resiliency.”
The committee was established alongside the appointment of the new government’s cabinet ministers this week. The Build Canada committee consists of 13 ministers, including Joly and Solomon. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson is the committee’s Chair, and Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland is Vice-Chair.
Build Canada, the policy platform, was launched by a collection of Canadian tech leaders ahead of the 2025 election to share policy ideas around innovation and the economy. Its efforts are spearheaded by ex-Shopify vice president Daniel Debow, who has said that the group behind Build Canada wanted to do “something beyond yelling at each other in chat rooms and tweeting.”
The policy platform team noted the establishment of its namesake cabinet committee in an X post, saying “There is much more to do, but let’s celebrate the wins when they come.”
Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke replied to the post with a similar sentiment, calling it a “Good move!”
The term “build” was invoked throughout the election by both Prime Minister Carney and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, a focus tech leaders called for and are pleased to see. Debow called on Carney to “quickly enact policies to Build Canada” following his election win, while Maverix Private Equity co-founder John Ruffolo called for the business community to “put the divisiveness behind us and build together.” Earlier this month, National Angel Capital Organization CEO Claudio Rojas said there’s an urgent need for “bold leadership and action” that helps transform Canada into a nation of builders.
Feature image courtesy Mark Carney via X.