Industry minister echoes Shopify calls to boost ambition in Canada

By Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press on October 3, 2024.

TORONTO – Canada’s industry minister has thrown his support behind a call from one of Shopify Inc.’s leaders for the country to get more ambitious.

François-Philippe Champagne says the Canadian DNA has to change so that innovators in the country talk more about what they are doing.

If people in the were more vocal about their work, Champagne reasoned Canada’s successes would only multiply because he says the country is already teeming with talent and known as an artificial intelligence leader.

Champagne’s remarks came at the Elevate conference in Toronto, where the tech community has been gathering since Tuesday to discuss trends in the industry and beyond.

On opening night, Shopify president Harley Finkelstein told the audience he had noted a lack of ambition in Canada that he likened to a “600-pound beaver in the room.”

Finkelstein said adding ambition to the Canadian psyche is “unequivocally necessary,” so the country doesn’t become a nation of branch plants and instead fosters massive companies at home.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SHOP)

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