A Brampton company is calling on governments across Canada to expand their \u201cBuy Canadian\u201d policies to include the software and technology used to manage public infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n
SMARTBUILD Construction Solutions Inc., a Canadian-owned construction technology company, launched its Buy Canadian Technology initiative this week, arguing that Canadian technology companies should have a greater opportunity to compete for government contracts at a time when Canada\u2019s relationship with the United States remains strained by tariffs and trade tensions.<\/p>\n
The company is urging federal, provincial and municipal governments to give Canadian-made software the same kind of consideration being given to Canadian suppliers of goods and construction services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re their best customer, and now they have decided we are not a trading partner,\u201d SMARTBUILD CEO Zulq Malik said. \u201cCanada does not need to tariff software, it needs a procurement policy that will create certainty for jobs in the sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the heart of the campaign is a relatively simple argument.<\/p>\n
When governments build something such as a water treatment plant, road or community facility, the construction contract can be worth millions of dollars and may qualify for government policies designed to favour Canadian or Ontario companies.<\/p>\n
But the software used to manage that project is typically a much smaller contract and may not qualify for the same preferences.<\/p>\n
SMARTBUILD says that creates a situation where the physical infrastructure can be built by Canadian companies while the technology managing the project comes from outside the country.<\/p>\n
The Brampton company wants governments to recognize construction and infrastructure software as a strategic category, establish procurement thresholds that make sense for technology contracts and consider the Canadian content of the software being used on publicly funded projects.<\/p>\n
Last 30 Days: 37,517 Votes<\/p>\n
All Time: 1,500,003 Votes<\/p>\n
2041 VOTES
\n Do you support bike lanes on major roads in the GTA? <\/p>\n
The company is also encouraging other Canadian construction technology businesses to join its campaign and present a united industry position to governments.<\/p>\n
The push comes as Canadian businesses continue to deal with uncertainty surrounding the Canada-U.S. trade relationship and governments encourage consumers and businesses to look for Canadian alternatives.<\/p>\n
SMARTBUILD says the issue goes beyond its own company, arguing that Canada\u2019s technology sector supports more than 1.5 million jobs, with almost half of those workers in Ontario.<\/p>\n
The company also points to the amount of money Canadians spend on foreign technology, saying Canada imported roughly US$38.6 billion in information and communications technology in 2024, compared with about US$12 billion in exports.<\/p>\n
Malik argues that government purchasing decisions could help keep more of that economic activity in Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanadians are fighting back, and this is our contribution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
SMARTBUILD, which was founded in 2019, develops software for the construction industry and is headquartered in Brampton, with another office in Regina. The company says all project data handled through its platform is stored on Canadian servers.<\/p>\n
It says its technology has been used by Ontario contractors and subcontractors on more than 50 municipal infrastructure projects, including water and wastewater facilities, roads, bridges and community facilities.<\/p>\n
One of its customers is Burlington-based general contractor GEN-PRO, which has used SMARTBUILD on projects for municipalities including Brampton, Guelph, Waterloo and Niagara.<\/p>\n
For SMARTBUILD, the campaign is both a call for changes to government purchasing rules and a pitch for Canadian technology companies to make sure they are part of the conversation as governments look for ways to strengthen the domestic economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want a Canadian technology industry in this category five years from now, the rules have to reward buying from Canadian companies,\u201d Malik said.<\/p>\n