Sovereignty Spotlight: Content Management Systems
By author: David Numan
Published: 23 Sept 2025
A Content Management System (CMS) is software that allows users to create and modify the content of their website without needing to write code or have advanced technical skills.
But a website is public anyway, why is Canadian sovereignty important for a CMS? The answer depends on each business or organization. Some CMS projects include more complex features than simply public content, such as online payments, donations, or anything that might involve private user data. It’s not just about access to data, but also control over services. Consider: what would be the impact on your organization if your website was shut down?
Here are some of the most popular CMSs in Canada, Data from builtwith.com:
| Platform | Sites |
|---|---|
| WordPress | 562,145 |
| Wix | 199,954 |
| Squarespace | 144,859 |
| GoDaddy Website Builder | 133,875 |
| Weebly | 26,330 |
| Webflow | 15,347 |
| Drupal | 11,660 |
| Google Sites | 10,979 |
| Jane App | 7,923 |
| Joomla | 7,234 |
| Hugo | 2,045 |
| Odoo | 1,842 |
(as of September 20, 2025)
Which of these provide digital sovereignty? Even if the software is hosted within Canada, if the company is American it falls under U.S. law. Open source solutions like WordPress and Drupal offer the possibility of digital sovereignty, but organizations need to check with their hosting provider where the data resides and whether it is controlled by a Canadian company.
Here is a great example of how Open Source software prevents vendor lock-in. If digital sovereignty is important to you and you already have your site in Drupal, WordPress, or Joomla, you can move your website to a Canadian provider. Migrating from other systems is also possible but will be more work, which adds hesitation to change vendors.
Not only do open source alternatives avoid vendor lock-in, they can often be robust and feature rich systems. I have many years of experience with Drupal and have helped build impressive websites at scale, and have seen excellent content editing experience with many capabilities.
Want to learn more? Is Canadian digital sovereignty important to you? I would love to hear from you. hello@canshield.ca
CanShield Digital is writing a new series highlighting tangible alternatives to typical software that organizations choose. What software would you like to see in a Sovereignty Spotlight?