The BetaKit Podcast Channel What is Build Canada trying to construct?
Mar 9, 2025
Daniel Debow, former VP at Shopify and founder of Build Canada, dives into the initiative designed to transform Canadian governance. He shares his vision for bridging the gap between business insights and actionable policies, while addressing concerns over corporate influence in politics. Debow expresses frustration with the myth of 'Canadian DOGE' and emphasizes clear communication with policymakers. The conversation also touches on the need for innovation and digital transformation within government services to enhance transparency and economic growth.
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Build Canada’s Core Purpose
- Build Canada is a website publishing policy papers by volunteers to translate business insights into actionable government policy.
- It fills the gap where vague ideas fail to translate into specific, detailed proposals for politicians.
Need for Specific Policy Memos
- Government often receives vague, high-level ideas from business leaders that can't be acted on.
- Detailed policy memos with specific actionable steps enable better decision-making and implementation.
Startup Story of Build Canada
- Build Canada started as a Slack room with few people wanting to channel energy productively into policy work.
- It now includes dozens of volunteers across industries creating policy memos reviewed by experts before publishing.