- Feb 16, 2026
- Posted by: Sébastien Bonneau
On February 13, 2026, the Government of Quebec presented its vision to enhance digital sovereignty and announced the implementation of a first measure to support this vision entitled: Policy Statement on Digital Sovereignty and Information Technology Procurement, which aims at strengthening the State’s digital autonomy while maximizing the economic benefits of its investments in information technologies (IT).
Like initiatives in Canada, EU and Australia, the Government of Quebec objective is to exercise greater control over its infrastructure, data, software, and innovation capabilities.
Enhancing Quebec’s Digital Sovereignty
The Statement outlines a set of guidelines that will direct the State’s actions to ensure greater security, autonomy, and resilience in an increasingly strategic digital environment. These guidelines include:
- Greater emphasis on hosting data in Quebec, notably through the Quebec Government Cloud (NGQ) and data processing centres located on Quebec or Canadian soil, ensuring that Quebec has full control over the sensitive data of Quebecers.
- The creation of sovereign data centres, leveraging Quebec’s strategic advantages, including its clean and abundant electricity, its expertise in artificial intelligence, and its growing technology ecosystem.
- Increased promotion of open-source software and the development of custom solutions to reduce technological dependence and strengthen the autonomy of the digital ecosystem.
- Strengthening application development on shared and sovereign technological infrastructure to maximize consistency, security, and efficiency in developing digital solutions within the public administration.
- Drawing inspiration from the best international practices in digital governance and cybersecurity, while considering Quebec’s specific needs.
Maximizing the Economic Benefits of the State’s IT Investments
The Statement also proposes a second objective: to maximize the economic impact of government investments in IT. To achieve this, the government aims to:
- Make strategic use of existing contractual mechanisms to favour solutions aligned with Quebec’s interests and strengthen healthy local competitiveness.
- Develop strong Quebec digital expertise, particularly through investments in training, innovation, and partnerships with industry.
- Protect major IT investments, including those from foreign companies contributing to Quebec’s economy and employing Quebecers and Canadians, to support a dynamic and resilient technology ecosystem.
Risks and Opportunities
This statement offers opportunities for Quebec and Canadian companies to increase their role in protecting sensitive data of Quebecers as the government seeks to distance itself from tech giants while representing a risk of reduced access to Quebec IT public procurement opportunities of foreign technology companies.
Next Steps
The unveiled Statement consolidates steps already taken to strengthen digital sovereignty. It also establishes a framework to guide, coordinate, and align the actions of all relevant stakeholders around eight structuring guidelines.
Consistent with this approach, the government will adopt a decree authorizing the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology (MCN) to enter into a maximum of 40 contracts, valued at 1,4 billion dollars, under conditions different from those applicable under the Act respecting contracting by public bodies.
In concrete terms, this means that certain contracts for the acquisition of computer hardware and software will be reserved for companies located in Quebec or Canada. This is to ensure that government data is protected, following practices adopted by several other states.
This Statement may lead to the development of a government action plan and policy including targeted consultations with government actors to prioritize high-impact initiatives.
Navigating this evolving environment, building the right local partnerships, and positioning foreign technology investments as complementary to Quebec’s sovereignty goals will require early and strategic engagement with the Ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique and other key government stakeholders, for which Perspectives Government Strategies Inc. has valuable experience in guiding clients through these types of situations.