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Deputy Prime Minister hosts tech sector roundtable in Kitchener

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Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is in Kitchener today to discuss the challenges and opportunities the Canadian technology sector is currently facing.

Freeland stopped in Waterloo region to tour Communitech and meet with local innovators and entrepreneurs.

“This area, the Waterloo-Toronto corridor is one of the top tech ecosystems in the world., There are more tech workers here in this corridor than in Chicago, L.A, Seattle and Washington D.C., said Freeland. “Something we should all as Canadian take pride in, Canada’s technology workforce is growing faster than that of any hub in the United States. We’re already the top there, the trend is our friend, and I want people who work in this sector to know our government takes great pride in that. We understand how important it is for Canada today and our future, and we are committed to continue to work with you for us to get to number one.”

The hope is to meet with top tech executives to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the Canadian tech sector.

Freeland was joined by multiple local members of parliament, starting off with a tour.

“Seeing the work that you are doing here, talking to people, it has made me excited all over again about the present day reality and the future of Canadian technology,” said Freeland. “The Waterloo region is a renowned hub for technology and innovation, and it has, as Chris pointed out, the second highest density of start-ups in the world.”

The tour took the deputy prime minister around Communitech looking at different projects that startups have been working on, including a special type of flight simulator.

“It’s a little bit bumpy here, there’s always business cycles, but if you look at the big numbers, $3.6 billion invested in the Waterloo region in the last 16 months, more than the previous three years combined. We’ve got all these great companies that are just exploding, and it’s really great to have the deputy prime minister here today to kind of celebrate that success but work with us for what’s coming,” said Chris Albinson, CEO of Communitech.

Later this afternoon, Freeland will host a roundtable to discuss ways to help the industry get back on track.

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