The federal government will stop accepting new applications for a $15,000 grant to hire consultants to develop technology strategies, which firms must obtain before applying for loans of up to $100,000 from the Business Development Bank of Canada, according to The Globe and Mail. CDAP will continue to issue companies $2,400 grants to get websites. (The Globe and Mail)

Talking point: First proposed in the 2021 federal budget, the program expanded on pandemic initiatives to get bricks-and-mortar businesses online. When CDAP was launched in March 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it would “definitely make a huge difference for small and medium-sized businesses who want to grow and take advantage of new technologies.” But few signed on at first, blaming lack of awareness and complex applications. The program has issued just $274 million in grants and $280 million in loans so far, against targets of $1.4 billion and $2.6 billion respectively. Still, Liberal ministers have recently cited CDAP as an example of the government’s efforts to address Canadian businesses’ longstanding problems with productivity and technology uptake.