The state of Canada’s tech sector, 2016

As the tech sector continues to grow and emerging technologies from around the world become more common, it is now more important than ever to ensure Canada maintains its position as a growing, prominent tech economy. However, past efforts to define the tech sector, while useful, have almost exclusively focused on the information and communications technology sector. Today, technology has become so ubiquitous across all Canadian industries that this approach understates the true impact that the tech sector has on Canada’s economy. For this report, we developed the first pan-Canadian definition of Canada’s tech sector using a proven methodology that has defined other sectors internationally. It is our goal to identify the composition and accurately measure the impact that Canada’s tech sector has on the economy. Using our more encompassing definition, we found that Canada’s tech sector is exceptionally diverse, ranging from digital technologies to aerospace and pharmaceuticals. The sector is also much broader in size, scope and geography than ever before. It is truly a pan-Canadian sector with pan-Canadian impacts.