Canada’s AI strategy has a proprietary blind spot

The government’s plan to build sovereign AI infrastructure continues to funnel money into foreign-controlled models. Open-source AI remains the missing pillar.

The ISED consultation revealed that 11,300 Canadians already grasp the importance. The question now is whether policymakers will match that understanding with investments that provide real control, not just the framework, writes Tesh W. Dagne. Image courtesy of Pixabay

Opinion

BY TESHAGER W. DAGNE

May 4, 2026

TORONTO–When a nurse at a Montreal hospital consults an AI system to help identify a patient for early sepsis intervention, they probably do not realize that the model behind that suggestion was likely created in California, and is governed by American law. Under the U.S. ...

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