Economically, that was the plan all along. A new note this week<\/a> from TD economists broke down Canada\u2019s recent embrace of Military Keynesianism, which \u201crests on the idea that defence R&D and procurement can spur innovation (raising productivity), and generate positive spillovers to civilian industries through fiscal multipliers.\u201d<\/p>\n Essentially, in the proverbial choice between guns or butter, placing priority on the former will deliver the capacity to acquire both. TD notes that Canada might receive an additional productivity boost if its propensity for dual-use tech is properly nurtured.<\/p>\n Testing the efficacy of this economic theory requires the capital to flow, however, and spending delays have been a hallmark of Canadian defence policy, as TD also notes. The feds also missed their own self-imposed deadline to release the highly anticipated Defence Industrial Strategy, which has led former assistant deputy ministers to say all sorts of mean things<\/a> about what that failure signals to other countries.<\/p>\n But Canadian tech doesn\u2019t appear to be waiting around for new marching orders. Below, you\u2019ll find stories about Cohere partnering with a German submarine maker, the launch of a new Calgary-based aerospace innovation hub, and the launch of a new Canadian rocket company. You\u2019ll see more defence tech stories on BetaKit soon, including on former defence minister Harjit Sajjan\u2019s new startup, Juno<\/a>, and the startups we met at the celebration for BetaKit\u2019s new Prairies Bureau, graciously hosted<\/a> by Edmonton Unlimited.<\/p>\n In pursuit of profit, glory, and perhaps continued sovereignty, Canada\u2019s builders are ready to get building. Is the federal government ready to back the defence tech industry it asked for?<\/p>\n Douglas Soltys Canada is gearing up for Hannover Messe 2026<\/p>\n This is your chance to be part of one of the world\u2019s most influential industrial technology events.\u00a0<\/p>\n NGen is once again leading Canada\u2019s presence on the global stage by hosting the Canada Pavilion, bringing together innovative Canadian companies ready to showcase advanced manufacturing capabilities to an international audience.<\/p>\n As an exhibitor, you\u2019ll gain access to valuable networking opportunities, high-impact visibility, and connections with potential partners, customers, and investors from around the world. To help companies take full advantage of this opportunity, NGen is offering up to $10,000 in eligible reimbursements for Canadian exhibitors participating in the pavilion.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to expand globally, attract new business, or highlight your latest technologies, now is the time to secure your spot.<\/p>\n Join Team Canada at Hannover Messe 2026. Apply to exhibit today.<\/a><\/p>\n Hootsuite could receive up to $2.8 million USD for assisting US immigration enforcement<\/a><\/p>\n Years after scrapping a contract with ICE, Vancouver-based Hootsuite is providing its social media management and monitoring technology to the US Department of Homeland Security at a time when DHS is facing criticism over its violent immigration enforcement tactics.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shopify leans into agentic commerce with Google and Microsoft deals<\/a><\/p>\n The Ottawa e-commerce giant has co-developed a new open standard for AI agent-based shopping with Google, partnered with Google and Microsoft to help consumers find and buy its merchants\u2019 offerings more easily through their chatbots, and is launching a new customer plan to expand its product catalogue to non-clients.<\/p>\n Interrogating AI<\/p>\n Qu\u00e9bec research institute Mila is making mental health safeguards for AI chatbots a top priority<\/a> as cases of \u201cAI psychosis\u201d mount worldwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n AI will make things better for workers, but only if productivity translates into time, not just profit, Joe O\u2019Connor and Jared Lindzon argue in an excerpt<\/a> from \u2018Do More in Four: Why It\u2019s Time for a Shorter Workweek.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n In an op-ed for BetaKit, corporate lawyer Joshua van Es challenges what Canada\u2019s AI strategy gets wrong about sovereignty.<\/a><\/p>\n Hacks on, hacks off: How one coding dojo is preparing kids for the AI world<\/a><\/p>\n A coding \u201cdojo\u201d in Ottawa\u2019s west end has launched an AI curriculum to train its young grasshoppers about AI safety, and teach them the skills they need to code without AI.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important for us as a society to kind of teach the kids how [AI] works and how to use it responsibly,\u201d Code Ninjas Kanata co-owner Ian Chan told BetaKit.\u00a0<\/p>\n This week in Canadian gaming<\/p>\n After Ubisoft shut down its Halifax studio less than a month after its staff unionized, the workers\u2019 union is demanding<\/a> that the company prove financial troubles were behind the closure.<\/p>\n M\u00e9tis game developer Josh Nilson has built a virtual world<\/a> in Roblox where gamers learn the Michif language through play and community.<\/p>\n Registration is now open for operators looking to be a part of Alberta\u2019s soon-to-launch, licensed private online gambling market<\/a>.<\/p>\n Helcim takes aim at \u201cwalled-off\u201d payment systems with new extension<\/a><\/p>\n Helcim founder and CEO Nic Beique wants to put businesses in control of their financial transactions. This week, Helcim launched Helcim Payment Extension to help them do just that.<\/p>\n Nine Canadian companies make the 2026 Global Cleantech 100<\/a><\/p>\n The Global Cleantech 100 showcases private cleantech companies that a panel of experts predict will make a substantial impact on the market in the next five to 10 years.<\/p>\n While the number of Canadian companies on the list held steady year-over-year, there has been some turnover.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aerospace and Defence\u00a0<\/p>\n Calgary\u2019s new Aerospace Innovation Hub aims to turn talent and capital<\/a> into scale for more than 180 companies, and help at least a dozen new startups get on their feet.<\/p>\n Cohere has struck a partnership<\/a> with German submarine maker TKMS to explore integrating its AI tech into Canada\u2019s potential future fleet.<\/p>\n Toronto-based Kepler successfully deployed<\/a> its first wave of orbital data centre satellites last Sunday, beating out similar projects from Amazon and Starlink.<\/p>\n Canada Rocket Company emerged from stealth<\/a> this week with $6.2 million from all-Canadian backers, and a plan to give Canada sovereign rocket capabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n ITC says Canada\u2019s largest Indigenous tech conference aims to break down silos<\/a><\/p>\n The Indigenous Tech Circle is hosting its first Indigenous Tech Conference on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel.\u00a0<\/p>\n The inaugural conference is expected to bring together more than 250 Indigenous founders, tech professionals, investors, community partners, allies, and policymakers, which ITC says would make the conference Canada\u2019s largest gathering dedicated to Indigenous folks in tech.<\/p>\n FEATURED STORIES FROM OUR PARTNERS<\/p>\n Made from scratch: Toronto tech leaders reflect on 10 years of building Uber Eats<\/p>\n From a lunchtime experiment to a billion-order business, Toronto played a defining role in building Uber Eats. How local leadership, rapid experimentation, and moments of crisis helped turn a scrappy idea into Canada\u2019s leading delivery platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n A smarter, safer way to run AI? Vancouver\u2019s L\u014dD Technologies is betting on it<\/p>\n As enterprises struggle to balance AI cost, performance, and compliance, Vancouver-based L\u014dD Technologies is betting control is the key to adoption. How the startup\u2019s new CL\u014dD platform tackles governance and energy efficiency at the inference layer<\/a>.<\/p>\n How AI can help make SR&ED filing painless<\/p>\n Filing for SR&ED credits doesn\u2019t have to take months. How Montr\u00e9al-based Chrono Innovation is using agentic AI to help engineering teams<\/a> turn complex documentation into a faster, more predictable process.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 Weekly Canadian Deals, Dollars & More<\/p>\n VIC \u2013\u00a0 Blue Action opens applications<\/a> to oceantech accelerator<\/p>\n VAN \u2013 Slate raises<\/a> $1.3M to build embedded lending infrastructure<\/p>\n DLA \u2013 Mangrove Lithium secures<\/a> $85M USD financing<\/p>\n SK \u2013 Saskatchewan accelerators invest<\/a> nearly $2.2M in Prairies tech<\/p>\n KW \u2013 Miovision partners<\/a> with TomTom to tackle traffic congestion<\/p>\n TOR \u2013 Science&Humans raises<\/a> $10M for hormone health<\/p>\n TOR \u2013 MedEssist secures<\/a> seed round to convert pharmacies to clinics<\/p>\n TOR \u2013 Portage strikes deal<\/a> to manage Point72 Ventures\u2019 FinTech assets<\/p>\n TOR \u2013 Sequence acquired by<\/a> Polygon in stablecoin push<\/p>\n TOR \u2013 1Password promotes<\/a> Nancy Wang to CTO<\/p>\n MTL \u2013 Goodfood\u2019s safe food licence<\/a> reinstated<\/p>\n MTL \u2013 Ssense founders nearing<\/a> company buyback<\/p>\n STJ \u2013 Medventions launches<\/a> pilot hospital fellowship in Newfoundland<\/p>\n The BetaKit Podcast \u2014 The Canadian company solving AI\u2019s latency problem<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHow do I create the \u2018wow\u2019 moment for my end user? And slowness never creates the wow moment.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n PolarGrid founder and CEO Rade Kovacevic believes GenAI video and voice will be killer apps once they can function in real-time. Enabling real-time GenAI requires uncorking the inference bottleneck that the hyperscalers have helped build.<\/p>\n Take The BetaKit Quiz \u2013 A famous catchphrase, Ubisoft\u2019s surprise closure, and Salesforce\u2019s original vision<\/a><\/p>\n Think you\u2019re on top of Canadian tech and innovation news? Time to prove it. Test your knowledge of Canadian tech news with The BetaKit Quiz for January 16, 2026.<\/p>\n Access funding and manufacturing expertise to commercialize your medtech<\/p>\n Are you looking to advance regulatory approvals, conduct clinical trials, and undertake early manufacturing activities with the expertise and infrastructure needed to bring your medical technologies to market? CAMEDA can help you:<\/p>\n Collaborate with experienced medical device CDMOs<\/p>\n De-risk regulatory and clinical trial pathways<\/p>\n Prepare for initial manufacturing and scale-up<\/p>\n Ready to accelerate your medtech journey? Apply to CAMEDA today: cameda.org<\/a><\/p>\n
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Innovation Factory\u2019s Canadian Medtech Alliance (CAMEDA) program provides Ontario-based medtech innovators with funding and direct access to Canada\u2019s leading medical contract development and manufacturing organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n