Mark Carney Unveils Canada’s AI for All Strategy, Warns Foreign Platforms Can Be Used Against Canadians

Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled Canada’s new artificial intelligence strategy in Toronto on Thursday, warning that foreign AI platforms can be used against Canadians and that Canada is too dependent on foreign suppliers for the defining technology of the era.

“What to know about Canada's new AI strategy Canada's government has released a much-anticipated national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, mapping out how the country plans to adopt the new technology over the next decade”

BBC

Carney said, "That creates real risks that foreign entities could access Canadian data, deploy AI products that shape Canadian lives without reflecting our values," linking the risk to cross-border data flows and Canada’s limited leverage.

BBC

The strategy also frames AI as inevitable and already changing how people work, learn, and connect, with Carney telling the public, "It is already changing how we work, how we learn, and how we connect," as Ottawa maps adoption over the next decade.

The BBC said the plan includes more than C$2bn for programmes to increase AI literacy and scale up use by businesses and government, while also emphasizing sovereignty through reducing reliance on "foreign providers" for Canada’s AI needs.

In the same rollout, Carney warned that "AI could be weaponised against us," as the government proposed a world-leading public supercomputer and large-scale AI data centres to enhance computing capacity by 2030.

As Carney presented the road map, the Toronto Star said the strategy commits around $2.3 billion in new funding and aims for safe, reliable, and sovereign AI, while also acknowledging a serious adoption gap with few businesses using the technology.

Carney told the Toronto Star, "We are highly dependent on foreign suppliers for the infrastructure that powers AI, from compute to cloud to data storage," and he tied that dependence to risks that foreign entities could shape Canadian lives without reflecting Canadian values.

Global News

Global News quoted Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman calling the strategy "a very ambitious plan which lacks a lot of details," and she said, "The safety and the security that was promised in this is nowhere to be found in the documents, certainly no details."

NDP leader Avi Lewis called for "strong regulations to safeguard workers, youth, privacy, and our water and energy supply," and he argued the strategy proposes a massive boost to business adoption "with no concern for the consequences this will have for workers."

The BBC also reported that the strategy promises 250,000 jobs will be created by scaling up AI across sectors, while not quantifying how many jobs could be lost through rapid AI adoption.

Canada’s AI strategy sets targets for adoption and workforce outcomes, including boosting business adoption of AI from 12 per cent today to 60 per cent by 2034 and creating up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians by 2031.

“Minister's Message Government Vision: AI for All State of AI in Canada Canada's Goals Foundational Pillars of the Strategy Priority Sectors Pillar 1 – Protect Canadians and preserve our democratic system Pillar 2 – Give Canadians the means to succeed Pillar 3 – Promote AI adoption for shared prosperity Pillar 4 – Build the foundations of sovereign AI in Canada Pillar 5 – Promote the expansion of Canadian AI champions Pillar 6 – Establish reliable global partnerships and alliances Conclusion An innovative Canada is a stronger Canada”

ISED Canada

The Prime Minister’s Office said the strategy will provide up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians and raise AI adoption from just over 12% to 60% by 2034, while also targeting an additional $200 billion of economic growth over the next five years.

The plan also emphasizes trust and safety through proposals for online safety laws and modernizing privacy and online safety laws to address harms including deepfakes and synthetic media, with Carney saying Ottawa will introduce new legislation, regulations and standards to protect "your data, your privacy, your children."

The strategy’s sovereignty pillar includes building foundations of sovereign Canadian AI, including compute, cloud, connectivity, data, and talent, and it calls for a world-leading public AI supercomputer and "large-scale AI data centres" to serve Canadian clients.

In parallel, the BBC reported that Canada ranks near the bottom in AI training, literacy and trust, and it said the strategy’s national AI literacy initiative will offer "entry-level AI training" to all Canadians as part of the decade-long adoption plan.