Over the past many years, global discourse around Blockchain has been dominated by the United States-the legal gridlock, inter-agencies TURF wars, and temporary regulation clarity moments. While the US continued to grample in its internal conflicts, other constituents sought to fill the void. Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Gibraltar are positioned themselves as crypto hubs. However, each of them faces a critical limit: none of the natural centers of modern technology in global scale.
Canada, on the contrary, holds a frequently noticed but extraordinary strategic position. It is not only the geography and culture that is in line with the United States, but it also shares a relative -child businessman. More importantly, Canada has deep, organic roots in blockchain change. Ethereum – It could be the most important programmable blockchain platform, second only to Bitcoin by market capitalization – is conceived in Toronto.
William Mougayar is the author based in Toronto of the best-selling book, The Business Blockchain. Consensus 2025 took place in Toronto May 14-16.
Blockstream, the major bitcoin infrastructure company, is based on Montréal. It is common to find Canadian engineers, developers, and executives playing securities at the leading US blockchain companies. Thousands have contributed independently as blockchain technology and software developers.
Beyond the historical importance and base of talent, Canada has a critical structure advantage: agility. Where the United States is weighed by the complexity of the institutional, Canada can become agile.
In the US, the path to coherent crypto regulation remains voluntary in bureaucratic immortality. The laws of the law between the Chamber and the Senate, are often surprising or self -contradictory. Agencies such as the SEC and CFTC continue to compete for the scope. Even with the appointment of a White House Crypto Czar and an executive director, the implementation was constantly eliminated. For all its ambitions, the US regulation machine moves like a supertanker – slow to pivot and burden of the friction of the procedure.
Canada, in contrast, benefits from fewer layers of government, closer coordination between agencies, and a regulatory culture – if it is sufficiently -motivation – can respond with speed and clarity. The simplicity of this structure presents a rare opportunity: Canada can leap into the US by becoming the first G7 country that adopted a coherent, approach to the blockchain innovation.
Here’s what the plan looks like:
- Welcome to global blockchain companies. Attract top-tier talents and startups with streamlined immigration paths, R&D credits, tax incentives, and bold partnerships.
- Establish a Crypto -friendly tax regime. Change tax policy to support – not punish – the use and handling of digital assets. The treatment of capital income, staking income, and terms of token release should be clarified and masked to encourage change.
- Clarify and streamline regulation. Strong consumer protection and financial integrity remain important, but the ambiguity and excessive risk that disrupt change. Canada can offer clear, proportional, and globally respected interconnected policies.
- Mandate access to crypto inside the banks of Canada. Adoption of the institution is facilitated by encouraging banks to integrate blockchain systems and enable seamless, safe access to regulated crypto platforms, including handling stablecoins.
- Include blockchain in capital markets. Empower TMX and provincial exchanges to list approved digital assets and stablecoins. Allow registered dealer-brokers to offer decentralized finance (DEFI) decentralized retail products to retail and institutional clients.
- Promote the use of blockchain within the government. Encourage public agencies to reflect blockchain applications, share results and best skills to speed up the adoption of departments and services.
- Establish a national cryptocurrency reserve. In coordination with the Bank of Canada, explore the handling of selected digital assets on the national balance sheet – an idea that time came.
All of these steps are part of a greater importance: future-proof economy of Canada. Blockchain is no longer an emerging technology – it is actively re -developing sectors such as financial, digital identification, supply chains, and gaming. The countries that lead its adoption will reap economic dividends and shape the architecture of the digital age.
The United States may have a scale, momentum, and an aggressive mindset, but it also smells of internal conflict and structures that are ineffective. Canada, on the contrary, is small enough to be agile, but large enough to make an effect.
Canada must act. The opportunity to lead the blockchain change is still wide. Canada is uniquely positioned to seize it. No matter the outcome of the election on April 28, any serious national agenda should include a bold and forward blockchain policy.
