John Ivison: Biden has changed the playbook on clean technology and Canada risks losing out

OTTAWA — In the press conference that wrapped up the North American leaders’ summit in Mexico, Justin Trudeau was asked about the future of the semiconductor industry.

Canada has a significant role to play in semiconductors, he said. “What exactly that role is, is still, somewhat, to be determined.”

The prime minister’s ambiguity is understandable — Canada’s future in high-end computing is likely to depend entirely on how it responds to new U.S. policy that has the potential to change the world.

The Biden Administration has introduced an industrial strategy that links technological change and national security, in similar fashion to the post-Second World War Marshall Plan that was designed to restore European prosperity and prevent the spread of communism.

The Biden plan will pour hundreds of billions of dollars into subsidies, tax credits and incentives aimed at fast-tracking the adoption of clean technology and advanced manufacturing, while at the same time bolstering domestic capabilities in semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence — all at the expense of China.