Launch of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy announced in Waterloo

Several local, and national leaders were on hand Friday morning for the announcement of Canada's National Quantum Strategy. 

It was made by Francoise-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Science, Innovation, and Industry at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo. 

The government is investing $360 million in quantum research, talent, and commercialization. 

“We need to bring Canadians along in what we're going to be doing, and telling them why quantum matters to them,” Champagne said. “If we want to be able to predict climate for example, if we want to have more personalized drugs, if we want to reduce the cost of prototyping, we need you to be able to carry that message.”

Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, and Regional Chair Karen Redman were among those in attendance for the announcement. 

Also attending were the co-chairs of a new Quantum Advisory Council, Dr. Raymond Laflamme and Dr. Stephanie Simmons. 

Dr. Laflamme is a professor at the University of Waterloo and discussed the importance of the announcement.

“Understanding, predicting, controlling quantum phenomena will lead to new technologies, some of which we can't even imagine today,” he said. “The ones we know already include computers with mind-boggling power, sensors with increasing precision, and communication with unbreakable security.”

The National Research Council of Canada projects that by 2045, Canada's quantum industry will be a $139 billion industry accounting for over 200,000 jobs.

Following the announcement, Minister Champagne also toured and met with workers at Communitech in Kitchener.