March 27, 2026
Waterloo, Ontario

Check against delivery

Hello everyone.

Thank you for that warm introduction.

It’s a pleasure to be here in Waterloo—one of Canada’s great engines of innovation.

And it’s especially fitting to be here at KA Imaging.

A company that shows exactly what Canadian ingenuity can do: Turn cutting-edge science into practical tools that save and improve lives.

Imagine a doctor working in a small rural clinic in Zambia.

A patient arrives with chest pain and a cough that won’t go away.

The doctor suspects pneumonia—or maybe even tuberculosis—but the nearest imaging equipment is hours, even days, away.

She has the knowledge. She has the training.

What she doesn’t have is the technology to see what’s happening inside that patient’s lungs.

That’s the difference between guessing and diagnosing.

Between waiting and treating.

And sometimes, between life and death.

Companies like KA Imaging remind me of something important:

That while some of the world’s biggest breakthroughs may start in Canadian labs—their impact can be felt around the world.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that Canada is renewing its investment in Grand Challenges Canada with a $200-million contribution.

Continuing our support for one of the world’s most respected platforms for turning bold ideas into real-world solutions.

For more than 15 years now, Grand Challenges Canada has taken a simple but powerful approach:

Find innovators with breakthrough ideas, support them early, and help them scale up solutions that improve lives around the world.

Like KA Imaging’s portable X-ray diagnostic technology, for example.

And the results speak for themselves.

To date, GCC has supported more than 1,600 innovations—including close to 400 from Canada—in 109 countries.

Helping save about 125,000 lives and reaching more than 100 million more people. 

And for every dollar invested by Canada in the past five years, GCC has mobilized an additional $2.66 from other partners and donors. 

And with this renewed funding, GCC will continue to collaborate with partners like the Global Fund, extending the reach of Canada’s investments even more. 

But to be clear: Investments like this are in our best interests.

Diseases like tuberculosis, HIV and COVID don’t respect borders: And neither should our response.

Stopping the spread can save lives here at home.

These investments also create economic opportunities—for Canadian workers, businesses, exporters and investors.

New partnerships for our firms and new export opportunities for our technology.

In other words, this is development that builds prosperity on both sides of the partnership.

Whether the next life-saving breakthrough might come from a lab in Waterloo, a clinic in Nairobi or a startup in New Delhi…

Just like the doctor and her patient in our story, everyone deserves to be seen, diagnosed and treated.

That’s why the government has been with Grand Challenges Canada since day one.

And why we’re proud to continue supporting them.

With that, I’m happy to invite Karlee Silver, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada to say some words.

Thank you.