Sovereign Cloud: Why Public-Private Partnerships Are Key to Quebec’s Digital Future

Quebec’s digital heritage is constantly expanding and gaining value. From health records to the financial data of large organizations, from notarized documents to the business intelligence of our SMEs, sensitive data is everywhere, and it reflects who we are as a society. Our economy, our quality of life, and even our culture are shaped by how much control we exercise over this information as it moves through digital systems.

So, who’s actually safeguarding our data?

In many cases, we hand it over to American companies when we migrate to their clouds. But alternatives exist. There are solutions that would give public-sector organizations in Quebec greater control over our digital heritage.

A national cloud for Quebec?

The Quebec government has publicly stated its intent to better protect citizens’ data. Major media outlets are covering the issue, and even the Ligue des droits et libertés has called for the creation of a sovereign digital infrastructure.

The concept of a nationally governed, locally operated cloud has broad support.

But bringing it to life isn’t simple. One of the biggest obstacles is the shortage of cloud expertise in Quebec’s public sector. Designing, deploying, and maintaining a sovereign cloud requires deep knowledge of security and compliance, as well as a proven ability to work with advanced technologies. These skills are rare and in high demand, making recruitment expensive, slow, and often unsuccessful. Some departments are already struggling to fill positions and retain the experts they do manage to hire.

Without specialized internal teams able to lead such a project at scale, cloud initiatives often get pushed aside or tackled piecemeal, with little alignment across departments. Meanwhile, sensitive citizen data remains under foreign control.

“To say we’re going to adopt this kind of technology but outsource it abroad because we lack in-house expertise — from an economic standpoint, that sends the opposite message of what the Premier says he wants: more $90,000-a-year jobs here.”
— José Fernandez, Associate Professor, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal

Public-private partnerships are the pragmatic path forward

The most realistic way to address these challenges is to pair public-sector leadership with private-sector capabilities.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) allow governments to leverage the specialized expertise of private providers, benefit from their R&D investments, and tap into infrastructure that’s already agile and efficient — while maintaining full compliance with public-sector standards and obligations.

This model is key to launching a sovereign cloud that is both reliable and economically viable, without delays or compromising public control. With clear government vision and strong partners, Quebec can take real, tangible steps toward lasting digital sovereignty.

This isn’t about outsourcing sovereignty. It’s about building a national infrastructure on solid foundations — without delay, and without compromise.

Global examples of PPPs powering sovereign clouds

Other countries have already shown that large-scale sovereign cloud projects can succeed when supported by strong public-private collaboration.

Australia

Australia’s definition of “sovereign cloud” goes beyond simple data residency. The infrastructure must also be owned, governed, and operated locally. While major hyperscalers can technically host data on Australian soil, this alone doesn’t guarantee data sovereignty or exclusive domestic access.

That’s why a local provider was designated as a sovereign partner. Their model offers transparent pricing with no hidden fees (such as egress charges), and a level of clarity that hyperscalers often struggle to match. AUCloud integrates leading international technologies like Veeam, without relinquishing governance.

Sweden

Before launching its own cloud, Sweden acknowledged a major digital imbalance: 92% of data generated in the Northern Hemisphere was hosted in U.S.-based clouds. In response, 14 municipalities came together to consolidate 28 data centres into one sovereign infrastructure that’s locally run and powered entirely by hydroelectricity.

The project, delivered in partnership with Tietoevry and VMware, reduced energy consumption by 90%, strengthened protection for sensitive citizen data, and ensured continuity of public services across a vast northern region. The initiative has already sparked interest from other municipalities in Sweden and Norway.

Switzerland

Switzerland has recently launched a major initiative: the Swiss Government Cloud (SGC). Led by the Federal Office of Information Technology (FOIT), the goal is to create a hybrid sovereign cloud by 2032, fully owned, governed, and operated in Switzerland. It will serve the federal administration, as well as cantonal and municipal governments.

The cloud will combine public cloud services with dedicated private infrastructure, built on local governance, robust cybersecurity standards (Zero Trust model, NIST framework), and full automation of deployment and operations.

This approach is expected to save the Swiss government the equivalent of $412 million CAD, while freeing up talent for higher-value tasks such as application development and training.

Why Quebec should take inspiration from these models

These national sovereign cloud projects, grounded in local governance and domestic expertise, offer a proven path forward. For Quebec, they could deliver:

1. Immediate access to proven expertise without having to build in-house teams from scratch or compete with the private sector for scarce talent.
2. The ability to scale rapidly to meet the evolving needs of ministries and public agencies, while preserving control over standards and data sovereignty.
3. A catalyst for local innovation, enabling the creation of high-value jobs and reinforcing Quebec’s tech sector through strategic collaboration.
4. Significant long-term savings by centralizing infrastructure, streamlining operations, and avoiding the inefficiencies of fragmented or trial-and-error approaches.

A moment of opportunity for the Quebec government

The cloud skills shortage in Quebec’s public sector doesn’t have to be a roadblock. With the right approach, it’s entirely possible to modernize government systems without compromising sovereignty.

Public-private partnerships offer the most realistic and effective way to deliver a secure, high-performing national sovereign cloud — one that meets citizens’ expectations and powers Quebec’s digital transformation.

By combining public-sector vision with private-sector strength, and partnering with providers who have a track record of delivering real results, Quebec can join the ranks of global digital leaders and build the capabilities needed for a sovereign digital future.