Thank you so much.
The first is talent. I came back to Canada to launch Photonic Inc., specifically in Vancouver with its high quality of life, because ultimately this competition will be won or lost through the talent we attract and retain. We train lots of talent, but we do not retain it. We need to match global professional quantum salaries, which are roughly five to 10 times the Canadian national average salary. Salaries will grow further when the dominant design emerges and the talent shortage is at its peak. Ultimately Canadian firms need substantial revenue, not small-scale grants, to compete on the salary front.
Second is procurement. A quantum SIF stream that accepts applications from all quantum companies, including pre-revenue companies, would be good. However, the major need is for major procurement contracts or DARPA-like moon shot contracts to companies. There is an immediate need for the procurement of today and future processors for Canada-wide talent development for all those students to train on as well as quantum network infrastructure, as I alluded to.
Third, the government needs to employ a full-time quantum due diligence team so that it can procure or potentially use these tools. Without procurement contracts, the entire Canadian quantum industry will slip away to other jurisdictions that procure from domestic bidders with these due diligence teams, which are under way in the U.S., the UK, France and Germany. There is no team within the Canadian government right now to even initiate a discussion on procurement contracts for the Canadian government.
Fourth is supply chain investment. Other countries can terminate, obviate or forcibly consume our efforts by dominating quantum supply chain items. There are several government cross-platform supply chain investments I can recommend to be made so that we retain a hope of future digital sovereignty.
Fifth is corporate espionage. We need deep support and CSE and CSIS infrastructure support for all quantum tech companies, including the screening of personnel and cybersecurity infrastructure assistance.
Furthermore, we must mandate that all universities publicly disclose all international research contracts around national security items such as this. Substantial funding way beyond Canadian funding standards is easily available, and these research contracts purchase the resulting IP from Canadian universities and specifically insist in that contract upon secrecy as a precondition for funding. Finally, we need to help firms with the post-quantum encryption transition.
Sixth, the scale and openness to immigration is a key strength of Canada, but as we have heard many times, it is simply too slow. Canadian fast-track immigration programs in the 1990s are almost singlehandedly responsible for the Ottawa telecom boom. We need the same for quantum. I have heard from some of the most prominent global quantum researchers. Yes, they were trained in Canada, but they ultimately left because the permanent residency process was too difficult for their families to endure. People want to live here. They want to do quantum here. Let's pay them well and welcome them back.
Thank you. I am very grateful for the chance to share my views. I look forward to the discussions to come. If there is interest, I would be happy to extend these conversations privately. I appreciate your attention.