Federal AI strategy will address labour market impact, minister says
Canada's delayed national AI strategy will consider how artificial intelligence affects workers, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Monday. The government completed consultations on the strategy six months ago but has not yet released it, despite Solomon's initial promise to table it by the end of last year.
Solomon attributed the delay to rapid changes in the technology and ongoing consultations with labour leaders, environmentalists and young people. "Even when we did our consultations, the industry has changed dramatically," he said.
The strategy will address "the changing needs of labour and all the stakeholder groups," Solomon said, without providing a release date beyond "very soon."
Public priorities have shifted
When Solomon took the AI minister role a year ago, he signalled Canada would move away from regulation to focus on economic growth. The public conversation has since moved toward safety and social impact concerns.
Teresa Scassa, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, said the government's original adoption-focused approach no longer matches public sentiment. "The ground has shifted somewhat under the government's feet," she said.
Canadians don't trust AI, according to public opinion research cited by Scassa. Concerns include social media addiction, cybersecurity risks, labour displacement and environmental impacts. Public concern intensified after AI chatbots may have played a role in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.
New developments like autonomous AI systems that operate with minimal human oversight also demand government attention, Scassa said.
International alignment reshaping approach
Canada's geopolitical position has also changed the strategy's direction. Prime Minister Mark Carney has strengthened ties with middle powers including the European Union, United Kingdom and South Korea-all of which favour AI regulation, unlike the Trump administration in the United States.
Florian Martin-Bariteau, a research chair in technology and society at the University of Ottawa, noted that even U.S. states like California and New York have moved toward regulation. "Those middle powers, they have a very different approach than the U.S. regarding big tech," Martin-Bariteau said. "They're regulating. They're not afraid."
Six pillars outlined
The federal government released six priorities for the strategy in its spring economic statement last week:
- New privacy and online safety laws
- Building sovereign computing infrastructure
- Supporting growth of Canadian AI companies
- Coordinating with international allies
- AI training and education for Canadians
- Developing worker-focused industrial AI technologies
The government conducted an 11,000-comment public consultation and appointed a task force to advise on the strategy. Critics said the task force leaned too heavily on industry perspectives.
Solomon said the government will "do it safely and fairly" while finding "the right balance" between AI adoption and caution.
For government professionals working on AI policy, AI Learning Path for Policy Makers provides resources on policy considerations and strategy development. Government teams can also explore AI for Government resources for sector-specific guidance.
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