Canada's Lost Digital Sovereignty: Reclaiming Our Innovation Economy

The story of Canada's innovation economy is marked by brilliant breakthroughs followed by missed opportunities. From the invention of the smartphone at Bell-Northern Research to the pioneering of deep learning through CIFAR funding, Canada has repeatedly been at the forefront of technological revolution – only to see the economic benefits flow elsewhere.

The BlackBerry, originally developed in Waterloo, represented Canada's first major entry into the mobile computing era. However, the subsequent smartphone revolution, despite its Canadian roots, largely benefited companies in other countries. Similarly, while Canadian researchers and institutions laid the groundwork for modern AI through CIFAR's funding of deep learning research, the commercial applications and economic benefits have primarily accumulated in Silicon Valley and other tech hubs outside Canada.

To prevent history from repeating itself, Canada needs a comprehensive strategy for data sovereignty and infrastructure control. This includes:

1. Development of Canadian-owned data centers and cloud infrastructure
2. Investment in domestic high-speed networks and edge computing capabilities
3. Creation of data governance frameworks that protect Canadian interests
4. Support for Canadian tech companies to scale globally while maintaining domestic control

The time for action is now. As we enter an era where data is the new oil, Canada cannot afford to repeat past mistakes.