'The status quo is no longer working': Canadian tech leaders launch new platform to encourage innovation

financialpost.com:

For years, Canada’s technology community has called on Ottawa to do more to boost innovation and productivity and attract capital to the country.

On Tuesday, a group of founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the technology ecosystem took a bigger step in that direction, launching a public platform to share action-focused policy ideas.

Named Build Canada, the platform will issue weekly policy proposals that include a summary of the issue at stake and real-world policy solutions. Each idea will touch upon the country’s most consequential economic questions: how to sell more Canadian products, services and resources globally; what kind of reforms are needed to boost productivity, competitiveness, innovation and investment; and how to develop a culture that “celebrates freedom and ambition.”

“Entrepreneurs have specific, industry-focused ideas, but don’t have the time to put them into a format that can be useful in policy conversations,” said Daniel Debow, a former Shopify Inc. executive who is helping spearhead the initiative. “When you talk to a policy person, they see a tweet or an op-ed from a founder, but are unsure what to do with that. We wanted to take these ideas and translate them into specific and actionable policy points.”

The efforts has taken on added significance given the events of the past week.

“As the past few days have made clear, Canada urgently needs new strategies for growth and prosperity,” said Andrew Graham, co-founder and chief executive of Borrowell Inc., a Toronto-based fintech firm. “It seems clear that the status quo is no longer working,” said Jeff Adamson, co-founder of credit card provider Neo Financial. Graham added: “Build Canada (is) a group of entrepreneurs who care