The Tech Festival Canada lines up ministers, regulators and tech leaders for Toronto summit

The Tech Festival Canada will bring federal and provincial ministers, regulators, founders, investors and enterprise leaders to Toronto on Oct. 26-27 to debate how Canada governs, funds and deploys technology. The event is designed to push conversations on artificial intelligence, quantum, robotics, cybersecurity and digital trust toward real-world adoption and commercial scale.

Why it matters: - The festival puts Canada’s technology decision-makers in one room as the country weighs how to build sovereign capability in critical technologies. - The discussions could influence how AI, quantum computing, robotics and cybersecurity move from pilots to deployment across government and industry. - The event also spotlights the gap between innovation and access to capital, procurement and enterprise buyers.

What happened: - The Tech Festival Canada (TTFC) 2026 will take place Oct. 26-27 at The Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. - The initial speaker lineup includes federal and provincial ministers, regulators, founders, investors, enterprise leaders, startups and policy experts from Canada and abroad. - Hon. Evan Solomon, Ontario ministers Vic Fedeli, Stephen Crawford and Nina Tangri, and Hon. Mark Schaan are among the confirmed government speakers. - Regulators and public-interest voices on the agenda include Peter Routledge, Shereen Benzvy Miller, Brigitte Goulard and Vance Lockton. - The technology and business lineup includes Dr. Christian Weedbrook of Xanadu, Thiru Venkatachalam of IBM Consulting, Queena Cheung of Marsh Captive Solutions, Joe Greenwood of Mastercard, Dr. Noelle Ibrahim of EY Canada, Jo-Anne Ryan of TD Wealth and Ryan Gariepy of Rockwell Automation. - Startup leaders Daniel Wigdor of AXL and Paul Goldman of iTmethods are also scheduled to speak. - Investment and scale-up perspectives will come from Shawn Abbott of Inovia Capital and Jasmin Ganie-Hobbs of BDC.

The details: - TTFC will focus on Canada’s innovation strategy, industrial capacity, quantum computing, enterprise artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital trust, robotics, financial regulation, healthcare innovation, supply-chain security and the future of Canadian technology. - The agenda is built around questions on how Canada can move advanced technologies into real-world deployment. - The program will also examine how Canada can build trusted domestic capability, serve global demand and scale startups into larger businesses. - The Tech Festival Canada is organized around a 5×5 Matrix covering five technology pillars and five applied sectors. - The full speaker lineup and agenda are available in the company's announcement.

Between the lines: - Founder Lubna Soni says TTFC is designed from a builder’s point of view, shaped by her experience as a former Amazon professional with a background in data science. - The event is being framed as a venue for direct conversations that can lead to partnerships, investment and deals. - The emphasis on regulators alongside founders and buyers suggests TTFC is trying to bridge policy, commercialization and deployment in one setting.

What's next: - TTFC will unfold over two days in late October, with sessions expected to center on Canada’s technology governance and commercial scale-up challenges. - The speaker roster and agenda will likely expand as the festival gets closer. - Organizers are positioning the event as a recurring platform for Canada’s innovation ecosystem and the broader economy it supports.

The bottom line: - TTFC is betting that Canada’s biggest technology questions are best answered when ministers, regulators, builders and buyers are all in the same room.