When Premier David Eby announced his latest cabinet shuffle last week, it sent ripples through British Columbia’s tech and innovation community. At the centre of those ripples is Ravi Kahlon, returning to a role he last held during the pandemic recovery period—now rebranded as Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth.
The shuffle, which also moved Innovate BC under Finance and created a new Minister of State for AI and New Technologies, left some in the sector questioning how innovation would be prioritized in this new configuration. In an exclusive interview with Vancouver Tech Journal, Kahlon addressed those questions directly, offering his vision for the province’s economy, his thoughts on collaboration across ministries, and what BC must do in the face of shifting geopolitical and technological landscapes.
“A clear signal we need to grow our economy”
Kahlon acknowledged that the renaming of his ministry—dropping “innovation” and adding “growth”—had sparked debate in the tech sector about whether innovation was being sidelined. But he said the language change reflects a broader, urgent economic reality.
“I believe that the change in language to economic growth is a clear signal that we need to find ways to grow our economy,” Kahlon said. “Certainly in the face of the challenges we're facing with the US administration right now. I would love to believe that this is a short-term challenge we're dealing with, but we have to prepare this to be a long-term structural change that needs to happen. And economic growth is going to be key going forward.”
At the same time, he emphasized that innovation is not being deprioritized. “It doesn’t mean that innovation is not important. It doesn’t mean economic development in communities is not important. That work is central to what we’re going to be doing,” he said. “But it does send a signal that we want to see the pie grow, and we want to be able to create more opportunities for wealth to be generated and people to have better opportunities in our communities. And that’s what excites me most about what the Premier is asking us to do here.”
Who holds the innovation file?
The decision to move Innovate BC under Finance, combined with the creation of Rick Glumac’s new role as Minister of State for AI and New Technologies, has led to some confusion about who ultimately holds responsibility for BC’s innovation agenda. Kahlon’s answer is clear: his ministry is leading, but with collaboration.
“Our ministry, Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth, is leading the innovation file, and so most of the major policy work around innovation will be happening out of our ministry,” he said. “But the fact that we’ve got such a broad sector when it comes to innovation—it’s not just one sliver; it’s in every sector—having multiple people supporting the work that my ministry is doing, I think, will be vitally important for us to get the outcomes that we want. And that’s what excites me about it.”
He added that he isn’t territorial about innovation policy. “I believe that in order for us to get the maximum benefits and the maximum results, we’re going to need everyone to play a role,” he said. “Minister [Ravi] Parmar is going to have to play a role in driving innovation in the forest sector. If you look at the work the Ministry of Housing is doing, there’s a whole host of innovation happening—anything from digital permitting to using AI in building inspections, 3D modeling for community development and approval processes. So there are things happening everywhere. Our ministry will be, in a way, quarterbacking the entire file, making sure that we’re able to drive and get the outcomes and results that the Premier’s asked us to get. But everyone is going to be playing a role in the work as we go forward.”
The AI file: opportunity and preparation
For the emerging AI sector, Kahlon said Glumac’s role will initially focus on building relationships and understanding the landscape. “Minister Glumac is going to, in the next couple of months, continue his work on PNWER and finish off some of the exciting work that’s been happening there, strengthening relationships and some structural changes that PNWER has been focused on,” Kahlon said, referring to the Pacific Northwest economic region.
“Once that work concludes in the coming months, I’ve already spoken to him about shifting and getting on the ground and meeting with stakeholders as quick as possible. We’ve got a lot of amazing companies that are in the AI space. We’ve got a lot of companies that are in the robotics space. I think there’s going to be tons of opportunities for us to expand that,” he said.
Kahlon sees AI as both a sector in its own right and a transformational force across the economy. “AI excites me because I see just a huge amount of opportunity, not only to develop and support the sector, but also what this means to every sector across our economy. I mean, it’s already here.”
He was clear that BC’s initial focus will not be on regulation. “Our focus will be to ensure, first off, we have a Team Canada approach. I’ll be meeting with Minister [Evan] Solomon very soon to talk about what the federal government wants to do in this space,” Kahlon said. “It very much will be around people and how do we prepare our workforce to both see the benefits of it, but also be prepared, because this will have an impact on our workforce. And we’re already seeing jurisdictions thinking about how to grapple with those changes. So that’ll be an important piece of it, but we very much want to align with the work that the federal government is doing.”
Innovate BC and Web Summit
When asked how Innovate BC’s programs—like the Integrated Marketplace and Ignite—would fare now that the organization sits under Finance, Kahlon again emphasized collaboration.
“What we’re trying to do in our ministry is break silos down. That’s really what the focus of our work is,” he said.
“Often, our folks are just doing their thing, and they’re not really paying attention to how the work they’re doing interplays with other sectors. And so I don’t see it as a challenge. I see it as, again, an opportunity. Minister Bailey is an intellect. She’s a fantastic advocate for the tech community. And my view is, if there’s relationships that are established there, we want to leverage those relationships to get the outcome. So maybe some people see that as a challenge. We don’t. We think that it’s going to be seamless, because we work really well together already.”
As for Web Summit Vancouver, Kahlon confirmed his ministry will continue leading but hinted at involving others. “Again, that’ll be our ministry. But I want Minister Bailey—I’m not sure if she’ll agree—but I would like her to have an important role in that, just because, again, relationships, the knowledge and skill sets she brings. The file I have is quite extensive and quite broad, and when you’re doing something that is so far reaching and putting together a strategy that brings our sectors together, you can’t be territorial about the work. It just needs to get done.”
A comprehensive strategy coming
Kahlon closed with a note of urgency shaped by geopolitics. “Things have changed. I think what we’ve seen—the threats coming out of the US, threats to our sovereignty, the jokes around the 51st state—some people think it’s just jokes. We can’t afford to take it as a joke. We must act seriously,” he said. “And what you’ll be seeing coming out of us in the province in the coming months ahead is a comprehensive strategy and a vision for where we want to take the economy. And of course, innovation is going to be a central piece of it.”
As BC’s tech sector absorbs these changes, Kahlon’s message is clear: the province intends to grow, to innovate, and to collaborate—even if it means redefining traditional boundaries within government.