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The Council
Building digital, physical and regulatory infrastructure is essential to closing Canada’s productivity gap, strengthening economic resilience and competing in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Innovative Infrastructure Council brings together organizations from across industries and regions that are investing in next-generation infrastructure, including broadband, 5G/6G, AI, and cloud, and advanced manufacturing technologies to drive Canada’s economic competitiveness.
The Council is committed to providing actionable policy recommendations on digital infrastructure deployment, investment incentives, technology adoption and commercialization, and regulatory modernization. The Council will inform government policy by advancing business leadership on digital infrastructure, technology adoption and productivity growth, while strengthening collaboration between government and the private sector.
The business community is ready to lead in building a modern, connected and productive economy that unlocks long-term growth and opportunity for Canadians.
Policy Priorities
Canada’s productivity challenge is increasingly driven by underinvestment in digital infrastructure and slow adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies across sectors.
Government must:
- Implement targeted investment-focused tax measures (e.g., accelerated CCA, productivity super-deduction) to incentivize business investment in digital tools, machinery and advanced technologies.
Digital infrastructure, including broadband, 5G/6G and cloud is foundational to economic growth, competitiveness, and participation in the modern economy.
Government must:
- Accelerate deployment of next-generation digital infrastructure by streamlining approvals, coordinating across jurisdictions and prioritizing investment in underserved regions.
Canada has strong innovation capacity but continues to lag in commercialization and firm-level adoption of new technologies.
Government must:
- Scale programs and procurement tools that support the adoption and commercialization of AI, internet of things and advanced manufacturing technologies by Canadian businesses.
Fragmented and outdated regulatory frameworks are slowing infrastructure deployment and limiting the adoption of new technologies.
Government must:
- Modernize regulatory systems through digital-by-default processes, risk-based approaches and alignment with key trading partners to reduce duplication and delays.
As infrastructure becomes more connected and data-driven, cyber security and data governance are critical to economic resilience and national security.
Government must:
- Establish clear, harmonized cybersecurity and data governance frameworks that protect critical infrastructure while enabling innovation and cross-border data flows.
Global competition for capital is intensifying, requiring Canada to create a more attractive environment for infrastructure and technology investment.
Government must:
- Enhance Canada’s investment competitiveness through predictable policy, competitive tax structures and coordinated industrial strategies that crowd in private capital.
Co-Chairs
Hardave Birk
Director, Government Relations,
Rogers
Marc Mondesir
Managing Director, Canada,
Equinix
For more information on the Innovative Infrastructure Council, please contact Alex Greco, Senior Director, Manufacturing & Value Chains.
Updates
Op-ed: “Canada’s Economy Can Move at 6G Speed”, The Hill Times. Read more.
Op-ed: “Bridging the Adoption Gap: The Key to Turning Canada’s Productivity Around”, The Hill Times. Read more.
February: Council Meeting with Sébastien Betermier (McGill University) on the components of a pan-Canadian infrastructure strategy for industry.
November: Advocacy wins in 2025 Federal Budget:
- Productivity super-deduction (Phase 1): Introduced to incentivize capital investment in machinery, equipment, digital tools and advanced technologies.
- SR&ED modernization framework (initial steps): Announced with a focus on administrative simplification, improved certainty and enhanced supports for research-intensive SMEs.
- Digital infrastructure recognition: Established early federal acknowledgement of IoT networks, data centres, AI compute capacity and telecommunications upgrades as critical economic infrastructure.
- Regulatory modernization commitments: Advanced through Treasury Board to streamline digital regulations and update standards related to AI, data flows and cyber security interoperability.
- Cyber security readiness funding: Earmarked for critical infrastructure operators to support secure digital adoption and strengthen national resilience.
- Procurement reform initiatives: Launched to support innovation testbeds and accelerate early-stage commercialization of digital and industrial technologies.
- Workforce and talent measures: Expansion of apprenticeship training in the skilled trades, development of an international talent strategy to support innovation and progress on foreign credential recognition.
September: Mini Hill Day with Members of Parliament, senior political staff and government officials to advance the Council’s policy priorities.
June: Joint session with Charles Vincent, Senior ADM, and Chris Padfield, Spectrum and Telecommunications Sector, ISED, on the Council’s productivity, investment and digital infrastructure priorities.
May: Council meeting with David Coletto, Chair of Abacus Data, on Canadian business sentiment.
April: Council meeting with Greg Lyle, President of Innovative Research Group, on public opinion and competitiveness.
March: Council meeting with Philip Cross, Fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute, on policy priorities.
February: First Council meeting with Charles Vincent, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister at ISED, on the Council’s productivity and regulatory modernization priorities.
Members
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