Canada's Semiconductor Council

Canada’s Semiconductor Council is an industry-led national coalition led by globally-recognized Canadian founders, business leaders, chip manufacturers, and investors. The mandate of this Council is to lead a National Semiconductor Strategy and Action Plan that positions Canada to be a global developer, manufacturer and supplier of semiconductor products that are embedded in electric vehicles, medical devices, consumer electronics and precision agriculture.

Council Members

Sarah Prevette

Founder, Future Design School

Melissa Chee

President & CEO, ventureLAB

Pam Pelletier

Country Manager, Dell Canada

Kevin O'Neil

General Manager, AMD Canada

Salim Teja

Partner, Radical Ventures

“Canada has a choice to make: we either seize the incredible opportunity before us, or stick with a status quo that's no longer working. When it comes to building an innovative, nationally integrated tech ecosystem with the potential to bring in significant investments and create transformational careers for a new generation of Canadians, you need to think big. In the ultra competitive and critical semiconductor sector, nobody is going to invite us to the table — we need to be bold and own the podium.”

“Canada produces some of the world’s most talented and sought-after STEM graduates, but without offering transformative and well-paying careers to keep them in Canada, we risk losing our best and brightest to other countries. Planting the seeds for a powerful domestic semiconductor industry isn’t just good for our economy — it’s one of the most effective tools we have to keep our talent in Canada, bring our talent back to Canada, and attract top talent from around the world.”

“One of the biggest hurdles facing Canada’s domestic hardware and semiconductor companies is the lack of access to venture capital. As a result, many technology founders are forced to seek foreign capital, often resulting in early exits at low values to foreign ownership. This unfortunate outcome is a waste of the years-long investment we put into our technology students, as well as a major blow to our economy. The launch of Canada’s Semiconductor Council is a significant step towards closing the gap to capital for Canadian technology companies, and a necessary measure to attract the billions of dollars in global investment that come with a thriving semiconductor sector.”

“Canada’s Semiconductor Council will play an important role in boosting exports and increasing Canada’s competitiveness in both traditional and innovative sectors. While we work towards a strong economic recovery, we also want to ensure Canada’s long-term competitiveness and growth. To do this, we recognize the importance of investing in our domestic semiconductor industry, which is key to so many technologies at the heart of our future economy — from artificial intelligence to quantum computing to green energy and everything in between.”