The Canadian government has announced that Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke will be leading its digital industries table, which will provide a forum for industry and government collaboration on innovation.
The 15-person digital industries table will develop policy recommendations to support Canada’s technology developers, service providers, and content creators. The first meeting of the table is scheduled for later this month, and the group will spend the next six months preparing a report to be published by Summer 2018.
“If you take a look at the Toronto Stock Exchange there are only a handful of tech companies listed. This is disappointing but also presents a great opportunity,” said Lütke. “ We need to break from convention, be bold, and define a path where innovation drives the future of our country, and our economy.”
Lütke joins a group of four previously announced chairs in varying industries, while the clean technology table is yet to be announced. The current chairs include:
- Charles Deguire, co-founder of Boisbriand’s Kinova Robotics: Chair of the advanced manufacturing table
- Murad Al-Katib, president and CEO of Regina’s AGT Food and Ingredients: Chair of the agri-food table
- Karimah Es Sabar, CEO of and partner in Vancouver’s Quark Venture: Chair of the health/bio-sciences table
- Audrey Mascarenhas, president and CEO of Calgary’s Questor Technology: Chair of the clean technology table
The Economic Strategy Table chairs were selected based on the advice of industry leaders and associations, as well as federal government departments.
“The sectors that drive innovation are where the middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow are created. Our government is committed to working with entrepreneurs and innovators to generate new business opportunities, create good middle-class jobs and equip Canadians with the skills they need for the jobs of the future,” said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. “Our government looks forward to working with industry partners through the Economic Strategy Tables to turn high-growth Canadian companies into global successes.”