Ottawa is moving to increase Canadian use of Artificial Intelligence with a federal strategy centred on free training, trusted tools and new legislation meant to address privacy and safety concerns. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada ranks near the bottom globally in Artificial Intelligence training, literacy and trust, and the plan describes a major adoption gap. A new literacy initiative will offer entry-level Artificial Intelligence training to all Canadians, while the government says all post-secondary students will have access to trusted Artificial Intelligence agents.
The strategy frames public confidence as a central condition for broader adoption. The government has promised privacy and online harms bills, along with new legal tools to ensure chatbot interactions are safe and to prevent inappropriate use of personal information, including surveillance pricing. Carney also indicated forthcoming measures on deepfakes, child protection and the use of Artificial Intelligence. The government says it will invest an additional $50mn in Canada’s Artificial Intelligence safety institute, create a certification program for trustworthy Artificial Intelligence and work on Artificial Intelligence transparency, including capabilities like watermarking of Artificial Intelligence-generated content.
Opposition MPs said the plan did not go far enough. Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman said privacy, safety and security details were missing, while NDP Parliamentary leader Don Davies called the strategy reckless and inadequate, warning that mass Artificial Intelligence adoption could cost jobs without stronger worker protections. The strategy promises to create up to 90,000 Artificial Intelligence-related jobs for young people. It also says up to 250,000 new jobs will be created through Artificial Intelligence adoption by 2031. The document describes a pro-worker approach that aims to augment human expertise rather than displace it.
The government also intends to put $500mn toward expanding and enhancing the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative to accelerate adoption and commercialization across the country. While the strategy talks a lot about sovereignty, it does not include new funding for compute infrastructure and instead leans on $2bn in previously announced investments. The government says it will strengthen its network of national Artificial Intelligence institutes and increase the Canada CIFAR Artificial Intelligence Chairs program from 130 to nearly 200 researchers. The government is putting $500mn toward establishing a Canadian Tech Growth Fund that could support promising Canadian Artificial Intelligence firms, including through equity stakes. OpenAI welcomed the strategy, while Ottawa also plans to expand a sovereign technology alliance with Germany as part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on dominant foreign technology platforms.
