As the federal government finishes its delayed national AI strategy, some Canadian tech leaders say they want the new policy to provide a detailed blueprint showing how Ottawa will help the sector grow.

The federal government has spent the last year developing its latest AI policy, reviewing more than 11,000 submissions and consulting a committee of 28 experts. Most recently, the government has set up two AI advisory groups to work with cultural and union leaders.

The strategy comes as public unease about AI is growing, fuelled by job cuts at major companies, security concerns about newer AI models and questions about the role this technology has played in mass shootings, including in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., earlier this year.

At some recent U.S. university commencement ceremonies, graduating students booed guest speakers who talked up the benefits of AI.

In the United States, existing AI regulations were torn up by President Donald Trump upon his return to the White House last year in a push to prioritize innovation over government regulation. More recently, however, Trump has talked about being more “careful” with AI as the White House weighs whether to vet new AI models before their release.

For now, the federal government insists it’s taking its time on the new national AI strategy to ensure it gets the policy right. Last month, Ottawa offered a first glimpse by releasing the strategy’s six pillars:

• Protecting Canadians and safeguarding our democracy.
• Empowering Canadians.
• Powering AI adoption for shared prosperity.
• Building the Canadian sovereign AI foundation.
• Scaling Canadian champions.
• Building trusted partnerships and global alliances.

In the meantime, federal AI minister Evan Solomon said the government is focused on expanding AI infrastructure, including last week’s announcement supporting three new Telus data centres in B.C.

Ready to grow

Some executives in the country’s tech sector are hopeful Ottawa’s new strategy will not only support the AI industry, but also accelerate its growth so Canada can become a leader in AI technology, talent and companies. 

There is a long to-do list to grow the sector from constructing more data centres and networks to scaling up Canadian innovation, said Louis Têtu, the executive chairman of Montreal-based Coveo, an AI platform with 800 employees in Canada.

“This is a multifaceted problem and I expect the government to be a catalyst to help Canada work together and make that very important goal happen,” said Têtu, in an interview with CBC News.

The country is excellent at science and innovation, he said, but too often those are developed and monetized elsewhere. He doesn’t want to see that happen with AI technology or the skilled workforce trained through Canadian universities.

Ideally, he would like to see the AI sector grow large enough to provide companies big and small with ample compute power — enough computing power to run AI systems — and to draw Canadian-trained talent back to Canada.

“I’m looking for the government to truly be a catalyst,” he said.

Detailed road map

The first pillar of the federal strategy focuses on protecting Canadians from AI, including through modern privacy and online safety laws. Those regulations are important, said BCE Bell Canada chief executive Mirko Bibic, because they become the guardrails for the industry to operate.

Ottawa will have to strike the right balance between regulations and innovation, he said.

Beyond that, Bibic wants an in-depth plan for how Ottawa will grow the sector, including specific milestones and performance targets. It has to be measurable, he said, rather than a plan that ends up collecting dust on a shelf.

“For me, the key test will be: Is there appropriate ambition in the strategy? Is there a road map for what needs to be done?” said Bibic.

All encompassing plan

Another pillar of the upcoming federal strategy is scaling-up infrastructure in Canada so the country has a sovereign AI system that doesn’t rely on foreign countries.

Many countries, including Canada, are heavily dependent on U.S. firms for digital and cloud services — remote computing and data storage offered by technology giants such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Recently, a Canadian launched a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which allegedly sought “vast swaths of information” through Google, about his personal life following social media posts critical of Donald Trump’s administration.

For Michael Arbus, the CEO of digital trading and investment platform Moomoo Canada, it’s a worthwhile goal to pursue data sovereignty so companies like his would no longer have to rely on U.S. tech giants.

Considering the hefty power demands of data centres, Arbus would like to see the federal government explain how it plans to grow electricity production and transmission in Canada, including through nuclear, hydroelectricity and natural gas-fired power plants.

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“What would be nice is to have a Canadian solution that’s using Canadian power and Canadian compute. That would be a long term aspiration to have because that would allow us to have control in what many might believe to be a constrained compute market over the next 10 to 20 years,” he said.

Ottawa has pledged a separate national electricity strategy, which includes tens of billions in investment tax credits. 

A combined strategy could help ensure there is ample power for data centres, he said, while ensuring electricity rates are protected for consumers.

“Wouldn’t it be grand to say in a few years that we’re a net exporter of compute just like we are with natural resources as a country,” said Arbus. “It would be a wonderful position to be in.”