Recording now available: Minister of Finance and National Revenue on Canada as a "lighthouse" for economic stability at The Payments Canada SUMMIT

Watch the full recording of his discussion with Susan E. Hawkins, President and CEO of Payments Canada

Speaking at The 2026 Payments Canada SUMMIT, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, positioned Canada as a "lighthouse in the fog of global uncertainty," emphasizing the critical role of payment modernization in securing the nation's economic future.

In the fireside discussion with Susan E. Hawkins, President and CEO of Payments Canada, Minister Champagne underscored that amidst geopolitical shifts and the rapid rise of AI and quantum computing, predictable and modern financial systems serve as a major competitive advantage. To that end, he maintained the government’s commitment to Canada’s forthcoming Real-Time Rail (RTR) — that will enable instant, irrevocable and data-rich payments in real-time — describing it as "critical national infrastructure" essential for the digital age. The RTR will launch in Q4 2026 with mandatory fraud mitigation requirements from day one. 

The Minister also took the opportunity to highlight the establishment of a new financial crime agency in the 2026 Spring Economic Update, asserting that because trust is the nation's "most valuable currency," doubling down on security is a matter of both economic stability and national security.