Government of Canada launches National Quantum Strategy
The Government of Canada announced today its comprehensive strategy to fuel quantum research and technologies at the leading edge of science.
During the announcement at Perimeter Institute, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the launch of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy, which will shape the future of quantum technologies in Canada and help create thousands of jobs.
“Quantum technologies will shape the course of the future and Canada is at the forefront, leading the way,” Minister Champagne said to the scientists and leaders from Canadian research and industry in attendance. “The National Quantum Strategy will support a resilient economy by strengthening our research, businesses and talent, giving Canada a competitive advantage for decades to come. I look forward to collaborating with businesses, researchers and academia as we build our quantum future.”
Backed by an investment of $360 million committed in Budget 2021, the strategy will amplify Canada’s existing global leadership in quantum research and grow Canada’s quantum technologies, companies and talent.
Minister Champagne was joined at the launch by the co-chairs of a new expert Quantum Advisory Council: Raymond Laflamme, a founding associate faculty member at Perimeter Institute and Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, and Stephanie Simmons, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Canada Research Chair in Silicon Quantum Technologies at Simon Fraser University and founder and Chief Quantum Officer of Photonic Inc.
The National Quantum Strategy is driven by three missions in key quantum technology areas:
- Computing hardware and software to make Canada a world leader in the continued development, deployment and use of these technologies
- Communications to equip Canada with a national secure quantum communications network and post-quantum cryptography capabilities
- Sensors to support Canadian developers and early adopters of new quantum sensing technologies
The quantum sector is key to fuelling Canada’s economy, long-term resilience and growth, especially as technologies mature and more sectors harness quantum capabilities. Among the programs and organizations supported by federal investments in quantum science are the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Mitacs, the new Quantum Research and Development Initiative (QRDI), the National Research Council, and Canada’s Global innovation Clusters.
“It’s often said that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology,” said Perimeter Institute Director Robert Myers. “More and more in quantum science, we’re finding that tomorrow is here now. Major advances are coming at an increasing pace. We’re seeing more young scientists going into quantum enterprises. We see more private partners joining in our research. Across our country, we’re seeing more start-ups and more investments. The world is on the cusp of a quantum revolution. These are exciting times.”
Learn more about Canada’s National Quantum Strategy.
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About PI
Perimeter Institute is the world’s largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated by the understanding that fundamental science advances human knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology. Located in the Region of Waterloo, the not-for-profit Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada, that enables cutting-edge research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and shares the power of physics through award-winning educational outreach and public engagement.
