Canada is undergoing a period of profound economic and technological transformation as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and quantum computing reshape global markets and domestic industries. Through Budget 2025, the federal government made investments to strengthen Canada’s national capacity in key sectors of the economy. Realizing the full benefits of these investments will depend on whether women, who make up nearly half of Canada’s workforce, can participate equitably in the sectors driving future growth.
To ensure economic transformation is inclusive, competitive, and resilient, ICTC’s latest policy brief — in collaboration with Women in Communications & Technology (WCT) — outlines six, evidence-based recommendations for the ecosystem supporting women’s economic empowerment in Canada:
- Adopt a sector-specific approach to women-focused economic participation and workforce development programs to accelerate women’s entry, retention, and advancement in industries central to Canada’s national economic strategy.
- Invest in targeted AI literacy and skills development for women and girls to close the AI adoption gap and strengthen Canada’s innovation and productivity capacity.
- Equip women‑led enterprises with the digital and AI capabilities required to scale, compete, and integrate into rapidly transforming sectors through existing program infrastructure such as the WES.
- Increase women’s leadership in AI governance and standards setting, ensuring that Canada’s AI frameworks reflect the full range of societal experiences and risks.
- Establish a national framework to capture and report gender-disaggregated data on women’s participation, advancement, and technology adoption across Canada’s economy.
- Align industry incentives with inclusive AI adoption and workforce participation through mechanisms such as tax incentives, gender-responsive procurement conditions, transparency reporting, and co-investment models that position industry as an active partner in advancing women’s economic leadership.
Policy Brief
Pathways to Equity: Recommendations to Boost Women’s Workforce Inclusion in the Digital Economy
To cite this policy brief:
Information and Communications Technology Council and Women in Communications & Technology. March 2026. Pathways to equity: Recommendations to boost women’s workforce inclusion in the digital economy.
The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.
In collaboration with
This project is funded by the Government of Canada through Women and Gender Equality Canada.
