Toronto – Lucas Matheson, CEO of Coinbase Canada, pleaded for the new Government of Canada to create a national cryptography strategy when it appeared at 2025 consensus in Toronto.
Speaking on a panel entitled “What the new Canadian government must do to direct in crypto”, Matheson describes certain key stages which, according to him, will help Canada as a leader in the blockchain space.
Matheson stressed that Canada has long been a hub for cryptographic innovation, citing the origins of Ethereum and the strong presence of web developers in Canadian universities.
However, he said that the country is at risk of delay while other nations actively shape cryptographic policies. “We need leadership. We need government champions to adopt this technology and legitimize it in the eyes of the everyday Canadian,” said Matheson. He stressed the importance of having a federal chief dedicated to cryptography, similar to the Czar of American cryptography.
One of its main suggestions was that Carney establishes a crypto working group led by the government in the first 100 days of the new administration.
This working group would develop a national cryptography strategy, in particular the definition of digital assets, the regulation of stablecoins and the permission of banks to keep crypto safely. Matheson also proposed to create a strategic bitcoin reserve and to integrate the exploitation of cryptography into existing data centers.
Matheson noted that Stablecoins could play a key role in the strengthening of less speculative digital assets, suggesting that Canada needs a stable and Canadian -named coin to stimulate financial efficiency.
“One in five Canadians put money abroad. We pay between 6% and 12% to put money worldwide. And today, with Crypto, you can click on different buttons on your phone and send your friends and family 6% to 12% in addition to money,” he said.
Metheson has also noted that 15% of Canadians are considered as a sub-Baucence in Canada, which creates “an important opportunity for us to stimulate innovation and change”, in the country via crypto.
‘Stand with crypto’
To defend more policy change, Matheson underlined the “Stand with Crypto” initiative.
This aims to educate legislators on the advantages of blockchain and to respond to false ideas. He noted that the initiative is gaining ground among industry leaders and aims to strengthen the support of members of the Parliament.
While Canada is moving to a new government led by Mark Carney, Matheson has expressed its optimism about the new mandates of the new administration concerning innovative technology.
“They [Liberals] are mandated to build Canada to find economic growth and opportunities for us to adopt technology. And we have a very motivated government to think of opportunities to help our country get more economic advantage. And I think that crypto and other technologies will have to be adopted, and to do this, we must educate them, “he said.
However, Matheson warned that Canada is likely to be left in the global breed to integrate the crypto into the financial system, unless it takes rapid measures.
He compared the current challenges in Canada such as “a square ankle, a round hole, a legal definition problem”, due to several different layers of securities regulators.
This means that Canadians are forced to look elsewhere for crypto -related services, potentially resulting in a loss of opportunity for the country and opening users at risk.
“We are at risk of not moving fast enough to adopt the types of technologies and products and services in Canada, and as a regulated financial institution, it is a priority for us to make sure that we can introduce these products and services in accordance, so that Canadians do not only use a VPN and jump and use non -compliant platforms in the world.”
Read more: Lucas Matheson of Coinbase on the reason why Canada needs a blockchain strategy
