Données Souveraines Québec
Manifesto for Data Sovereignty
The status quo is no longer an option.
Context & Challenges
The status quo is no longer an option.
Today, digital capabilities are no longer mere technical tools, but the indispensable foundation of our individual, collective and economic autonomy. Yet, by delegating the keys to our sovereignty to foreign technology giants, Quebec and Canada have for too long acted as mere tenants of their own digital economy, paying perpetual rent without ever building their own heritage.
This posture of dependence now exposes us to a triple threat: legal insecurity in the face of the extraterritoriality of certain foreign laws, an invisible pillaging of our data to train artificial intelligence elsewhere, and vulnerability to unilateral price hikes on cloud licenses and artificial intelligence tokens.
The financial impact of this inaction is a genuine time bomb — a hemorrhage that will grow from 10 to 20 billion dollars per year by 2027 (IDC), depriving our community of the equivalent of four mega-hospitals every year.
Faced with this reality, the time has come to change paradigm. Moving from dependent tenants to autonomous owners of our digital capabilities is no longer a choice — it is an imperative of security and prosperity.
Our 4 strategic pillars
Our Plan for Digital Sovereignty
To regain control of our technological destiny, in both the public and private sectors, we must build a digitally sovereign nation around 4 strategic pillars.
Master and host our strategic data
We cannot protect what we do not know. We must:
Map our strategic assets
Precisely identify our most sensitive data (trade secrets, privacy, national security) and most critical in terms of business continuity.
Protect them in sovereign vaults
Ensure these strategic assets are stored and processed exclusively on infrastructure under local legal and physical control.
Break technological lock-ins and dependency
No vendor should be able to paralyze our organizations. We must:
Plan for freedom
Develop exit strategies and rapid migration plans to repatriate our critical data in times of crisis.
Invest in people
Massively train our internal teams to master cutting-edge architectures and technologies. Competence is the key to autonomy.
Champion open source and open standards
Independence requires code transparency and interoperability. We must:
Prioritize open-source software and open standards
Audit, secure and adapt our tools without depending on the goodwill of foreign giants.
Free Artificial Intelligence
Invest in open-source AI models to ensure transparency, eliminate bias, control costs and prevent the leakage of our personal and confidential data.
Control the use of proprietary software
When proprietary software is unavoidable, favor vendors under national control and open standards, with an exit plan in case of foreign acquisition.
Make digital sovereignty a driver of our economy and sustainable development
Digital must enrich our economy, not that of foreign monopolies that do not necessarily share our values. We must:
Embed sovereignty in the supply chain
Integrate sovereignty clauses in all tenders and supplier contracts.
Buy local
Use the state's purchasing power to propel our businesses and support our ecosystem, co-innovate with our regional SMEs and startups to create high-quality local jobs and build collective resilience.
Combine technological sovereignty and sustainable development
Design lean solutions that respect local standards and living ecosystems.
Join the movement
Join Données Souveraines Québec
The digital future of Quebec and Canada is being written now. If your position within a private or government organization confronts you with the challenges of digital sovereignty, your voice is essential. Join the Données Souveraines Québec movement to co-build the roadmap for Quebec and Canadian digital sovereignty.
Next step
From vision to action: the Roadmap
6 collective writing committees translate the 4 pillars of the Manifesto into concrete actions, informed by the State of Play survey data.
DSQ
Chair of the Editorial Committee
Chair of the Editorial Committee — Roadmap
Florian Strich
Managing Director, Persévère Conseils
Florian is a co-founder of DSQ and a leader in privacy protection and data governance, with 12 years of consulting experience in Europe and North America. He leads a privacy practice at a major international consulting firm and sits on the boards of international professional associations. He is currently Managing Director of Persévère Conseils. He has extensive experience building high-performing teams, developing privacy programs, and guiding organizations through complex regulatory frameworks, including GDPR and Quebec's Law 25. Trilingual in French, English and Spanish, he combines legal expertise with operational leadership.
Further reading
Recommended Readings
Digital sovereignty is a global issue. A curated selection of references to deepen the conversation and situate DSQ's work in an international context.
Digital Sovereignty Summit: Paris and Berlin push for autonomous European cloud and AI services
Analysis of European legal levers — in particular Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) — to guarantee Europe's technological independence from American and Chinese players.
Europe's Digital Decade: 2030 targets for technological sovereignty
The EU's strategic framework to achieve digital sovereignty by 2030: secure infrastructure, digital skills, and transformation of businesses and public services.
Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service — toward sovereign data governance
The federal plan to unlock the value of government data while ensuring its security, interoperability and control within Canadian territory.
Digital Sovereignty: Issues and Perspectives for Nations
Overview of national approaches to digital sovereignty — regulation, data localisation, investment in critical infrastructure — and recommendations for policymakers.
DSA and DMA: Europe's Legislative Arsenal to Regulate Big Tech
The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act are the two pillars of European regulation of major platforms. Vie-publique.fr explains how they work, the obligations imposed on dominant players, and enforcement mechanisms.
Digital Sovereignty in the Face of Geopolitical Polarization: National Strategies and Global Stakes
The IFRI analyses the digital sovereignty strategies adopted by major powers in a context of growing geopolitical tensions between the American, Chinese and European blocs.
How Europe Is Fighting Back Against American and Chinese Tech Dominance
The Economist maps the global technology battle and analyses the European strategies — sovereign cloud, artificial intelligence, regulation — deployed to reduce dependence on American and Chinese giants.
Do you know a relevant article, report or case study on digital sovereignty?
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