📥 Getting immigration right New newsletter in your inbox and at the link below:

Canada produces world-class research but struggles to turn it into world-class companies. Canadian startups do well in their early stages. But they hit a wall when they try to grow past $100 million in revenue. At that point, the system abandons them.

Roy Thomson is a Great Canadian Builder After a string of entrepreneurial failures, Thomson bought the Timmins Daily Press in 1934 with a down payment of just $200. He acquired more and more local newspapers, until he eventually grew into the media empire Thomson Reuters:

📥 Spread the cheer New newsletter in your inbox and at the link below. Special thanks to community member Kyle for this week's photo.

Setting a target to become the "Best AI country in the world" is meaningless. AI is a tool — successful adoption will be defined not by quantity of use but by applying that tool to problems with measurable outcomes. www.buildcanada.com/memos/moonsh...

Happy to see @desmog.com reporting that @liberalca.bsky.social is listening to quality policy ideas and adopting them. In this case, from @buildcanada.com Turns out good ideas cross partisan lines and come from within and outside government Terrific endorsement 🏗️🇨🇦 www.desmog.com/2025/12/08/m...

Sir Sandford Fleming is a Great Canadian Builder Every time you check the time, you can thank Fleming for creating Standard Time. Before, every town kept its own local time. As the chief engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, it was impossible to keep systems on time. So he invented time zones.

A year ago I struggled to imagine 🇨🇦 expressing the will, urgency, or need to prepare itself for what will happen over the the next few years. @buildcanada.com has created that movement. And this memo by @ddebow.bsky.social perfectly captures how we can get there.

Canada's prosperity depends on productivity growth but in recent years the country has been stagnant. Without productivity gains, Canada will fall behind economically. AI offers a chance to boost output across every sector but only if the government creates an environment that encourages adoption.

📥 Another of Trudeau's inner circle has resigned, and what it means for our climate policy New newsletter in your inbox or available here: buildcanada.substack.com/p/clarity-on...

Heather Reisman is a Great Canadian Builder She founded Indigo and set out to create something more than just a retail chain. It ultimately combined with Chapters to become a national bookseller.

📥 When pipe dreams become possible New newsletter in your inbox and at the link below:

📣 The merch store is open Tees, zips, socks. With a brand new burgundy quarter zip. While supplies last. Order by Dec 11 to get in time for Christmas. shop.buildcanada.com

Literacy — the ability to read and write — has arguably been the single most important tool for creating prosperity over the last several hundred years.

George Cohon is a Great Canadian Builder At 30 years old, he risked it all and moved from Chicago to Toronto to bring McDonalds to Canada. He was adamant that McDonalds couldn't just be an American import – it had to feel Canadian. So,

📥 Why "choosing your friends wisely" is tricky for Canada New newsletter in your inbox and at the link below

Diana Matheson is a Great Canadian Builder An accomplished player in her own right who went on to create the Northern Super League (NSL). From the Vancouver Rise to AFC Toronto, it's given hundreds of women a platform to compete and thousands the opportunity to watch great games of soccer.

We'll find out this week how serious we as a country are at breaking down internal trade barriers. It's estimated that breaking down barriers that make it harder for goods and services to be sold from one province to another can lead to $200B or 7.9% of GDP growth.

📥 Will Canada finally get free trade? New newsletter in your inbox or at the link below

How the budget scores on Civic Engagement & Pride We didn't see anything on the budget on this. No national year of service nor incentives to create pro-Canada programming. Would you have wanted to see it?

How the Budget scores on Industrial & Advanced Manufacturing The budget announced intentions to scale up the Canadian Photonic Fabrication Centre – a world leader in producing compound semiconductors. We're eager to hear what the plans are here.

How the Budget scores on Housing The budget delivered watered down housing commitments, if they were included at all.

How did the Budget score on Transportation, Infrastructure & Trade We're encouraged to see the budget recognize that there needs to be more telecom competition in Canada. However, our memo calls for more drastic measures to truly break up the entrenched oligopoly.

How the Budget scores on Defence Major investments to defence which will allow Canada to finally meet its NATO target. There's also recognition that we have a procurement problem and it takes far too long to get equipment and technology.

How the Budget scores on Digital Innovation We're delighted to see our memo on streamlining SRED applications included in the budget. SRED is the biggest R&D program, yet the application is so complex many companies hire external consultants to fill it in. We're eager to see these changes go live.

How the Budget scores on Banking & Fiscal Policy We're encouraged to see target timelines for open banking in the budget, something our memo called for. We're also happy to see our memo to create a legislative framework for stablecoins included as well.

On this Remembrance Day, Cluny Macpherson is our Great Canadian Builder When gas attacks started being used in WWI, Cluny invented the Hypo Helmet – worn over the head and made of fabric capable of absorbing the deadly chlorine.

"These were men who thought the term 'government efficiency' was an oxymoron so they did things themselves" Thanks to everyone who came out to the book launch of The Dollar a Year Men by Allan Levine. And a special thank you to Shane Parrish for hosting.

How the Budget scores on Government Transformation

How the Budget scores on Talent & Immigration

📥 A normal budget for abnormal times New newsletter in your inbox or available here: buildcanada.substack.com/p/sacrifices...

Students, this is your movement too. Build Canada is coming to a campus near you 🇨🇦 Join Farhan Thawar & Melody Kuo at the University of Toronto on Nov 13, and Lucy Hargreaves & Dr. Colin Mang at McMaster on Nov 20 as they talk about how you can build the future of Canada.

From the start of this year, Build Canada has shared bold policy ideas to grow our economy. From finance to government transformation, housing to immigration, the message has been clear: Canada needs to cut wasteful spending, reduce friction for builders, and increase competitiveness.

The budget is tomorrow. This will be a telling moment of the priorities of our government, and the future of our country. Over the past 2 weeks, we’ve resurfaced bold policy ideas – from finance to government transformation, housing to immigration – that could meaningfully grow our country.

C. D. Howe is a Great Canadian Builder When WWII began, Canada had almost no industrial war capacity. Howe set up the Crown Corporation model, which allowed Canada to rapidly ramp up its manufacturing, mining, and state capacity. buildcanada.com/en/great-canadian-builders/c-d-howe

The budget is 2 DAYS AWAY. While there have been some announcements to reduce taxes on homes, we'd like to see more substantial changes to bring housing affordability. www.buildcanada.com/en/memos/hou...

The budget is 3 DAYS AWAY. We'd like to see advancements on stablecoins for Canada. www.buildcanada.com/memos/stable...

📥 Are we headed for an election? Spooky newsletter in your inbox or available here: buildcanada.substack.com/p/budget-hou...

The budget is just 4 DAYS AWAY. While we celebrate that the federal government has removed federal exemptions to Canada's Free Trade Agreement, this is only a small part of the problem. www.buildcanada.com/en/memos/int...

The budget is 5 days away. Prime Minister Carney has said that it will include Canada's new immigration plan. We hope it introduces a strategic shift towards talent-first immigration.

Historically, Canada has been a global centre for excellence in mining. Forty percent of all mining stocks are listed on the TSX, and generations of talent, expertise, and capital have been developed in the country.

The budget is 6 days away. We hope to see significant changes to military procurement as part of it. www.buildcanada.com/en/memos/mil...

The budget is now 1 week(!) away. We want to see changes to SR&ED. SR&ED credits are the largest federal support for R&D, supporting almost $5 billion a year. www.buildcanada.com/en/memos/fix...

Frederick Banting is a Great Canadian Builder The founder of insulin, who sold the patent for $1 for the good of humanity. But Canada also helped to build the systems to manufacture these life-saving drugs to the world. Thanks to Faaiz for sharing his story: www.buildcanada.com/great-canadi...

The budget is 8 days away. We'd like to see measures to make government services AI-first. www.buildcanada.com/memos/ai-fir...

The budget is 9 days away. As part of it, we'd like to see measures to give Canadians more control over their data, starting with open banking.

📥 Carney hits the road as trouble brews New newsletter in your inbox and at the link below:

The budget is 11 days away. While energy has been a focus, we'd love to see a Sovereign Wealth Fund. Canada is one of the most resource-rich countries in the world. But natural resources are finite – you can't keep extracting them forever.

REBUILD CANADIAN STEEL Canada's steel industry is lackluster and shrinking. Imports make up nearly two-thirds of what Canadians use—double the U.S. rate—because of decades of free trade with other nations that are competing on unfair playing fields.

The budget is 13 days away. As part of it, we want to see capital gains reform. Starting a new business relies on people taking huge risks with their time and money. In Canada, these people are rewarded less than in other countries.