Canada maps public priorities for new national AI plan

Canada's Innovation, Science and Economic Development department has outlined the main themes from a major public consultation on artificial intelligence, as it drafts a national AI strategy.

The department received more than 11,300 responses during a 30-day online process last year and drew on 32 reports from an AI Strategy Task Force of representatives from academia, industry, think tanks and non-government organisations.

Participants were asked to comment on priorities such as adopting AI across the economy and public services, scaling domestic companies, attracting investment, strengthening sovereign infrastructure (including compute and data), and building public trust, skills and safety.

Government disclosure cited the use of Cohere Command A, OpenAI GPT-5 nano, Anthropic Claude Haiku, and Google Gemini Flash to review the submissions and identify common themes.

Recurring themes included ethical, safety-focused research aligned with democratic values; transparent governance and risk-based regulation; and stronger national AI literacy. Respondents also called for security frameworks and liability rules, as well as infrastructure and intellectual property policies that keep Canadian data and innovation under domestic control.

Most respondents (83 per cent) participated as individuals, while 17 per cent responded on behalf of an organisation. Just over half identified as interested Canadians. Business representatives accounted for 19 per cent, academics and researchers for 13 per cent, with smaller shares from government, industry associations, and privacy advocates or legal professionals.

Only some participants provided sector and demographic details. Among 1,860 people who reported a sector, IT, technology and cybersecurity made up 35 per cent, while professional, scientific and technical services accounted for 20 per cent. Arts, entertainment and recreation represented 15 per cent.

Most respondents were from Ontario and British Columbia.

Talent and research

Many respondents said Canada needs to attract, retain and develop AI talent through competitive pay, scholarships and immigration reforms. Several also called for closer links between academia, industry and government, and for stronger domestic compute and shared data resources.

At the same time, submissions cautioned against what they described as short-term hype. Some urged policymakers to prioritise academic independence, environmental sustainability, and protections for Canadian data and workers.

Suggestions included a national AI talent strategy, assurance labs and governance councils to test ethical frameworks, and measures to keep intellectual property in Canada.

The findings emphasised moving beyond pilots and prototypes to the routine use of AI in workplaces and public services. Health care, agriculture and government services were highlighted for early attention, alongside calls for sector-specific standards and clearer regulation.

Commercialisation emerged as a key tension. Many participants supported incentives such as grants and investor tax credits, while also calling for stronger intellectual property protection and safeguards against foreign control.

Respondents also urged the government to play a larger role as an early customer for domestic AI suppliers. The Task Force reports echoed that idea, alongside recommendations on procurement reform and mechanisms to move research into products and services.

Infrastructure and security

Submissions described gaps in compute capacity, data access and connectivity, with particular emphasis on rural access. Several contributors called for Canadian-controlled computing facilities and governance frameworks to reduce reliance on foreign providers.

Security recommendations ranged from AI-enabled cybersecurity measures to coordinated partnerships among government, academia and industry. Respondents also raised concerns about misinformation, interference and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. Some called for strict liability laws and human oversight of high-risk systems.

The department said it is considering themes from both public input and expert reports as it drafts the renewed strategy, due in 2026.