Will we simply hope that our raw materials will sustain our prosperity? Or do we need to become aggressively proactive in building a new knowledge-based economy? The latter will take much greater effort than has been deployed so far.
Critics warn Bill C-22 risks weakening cybersecurity as telecommunications firms and other service providers could be legally obligated to store Canadian users’ metadata for up to a year. But the public safety minister says some tech firms are ‘misinterpreting’ the bill, and that ‘safeguards’ are written in.
European Union politicians have voted for a ‘digital minimum age’ of 16, and banning some addictive elements of social-media sites. As Ottawa contends with these concerns, one European politician says laws should also focus on regulating platforms.
Online platforms like social media and AI tools are undeniably driving kids’ future. Legislation ensuring safety, privacy, and meaningful participation is the seatbelt. For every day that Canada chooses to delay online safety legislation, it is making a choice, which our children shouldn’t be paying for.
News should return to Facebook not because the law compels it, or because Meta wants it back, but because a fair deal makes sense. That is how sustainable and fair markets work in good faith. And that is how a healthy and plural information ecosystem is built with fair allies.
In an era where warfare increasingly unfolds behind keyboards rather than on battlefields, one of the Defence Industrial Strategy’s first priorities should be preparing Canada not just for cyberattacks, but for the coming era of quantum-powered cyberattacks.
The companies are ready, the technology is emerging, and the opportunity is now. We need only the policy courage to seize it.
It’s time to move beyond sector- or technology-specific solutions. Creating the right business conditions for the adoption of sustainable practices across all sectors will unleash a new era of Canadian economic dynamism.
Economic sovereignty in an era of global competition
Canada should step into the void on international cooperation on AI, making strategic use of its middle-power status and promoting the type of international growth it seeks to benefit from.
Indigenous-led innovation has strengthened communities for generations. Sustainable, flexible investment is now essential to continue the momentum.
Reversing Canada’s weak innovation performance is ‘more urgent than ever,’ according to a report by the Council of Canadian Academies.
Sovereignty over specific technologies won’t address gaps in basic skills, social cohesion, or trust. That requires a national strategy that encompasses people.
Leading researchers believe 6G technology could be the key to unlocking high-speed cell service in every corner of the country.
In 2026, 98.8 per cent of Canadian homes are expected to have access to high-speed broadband, surpassing the Liberal government’s goal of 95 per cent set in 2019. But only 16.7 per cent of Nunavut homes are projected to meet that mark next year.
Canada’s digital ecosystem dependency on U.S. tech giants comes with high, largely invisible costs. Despite the urgency and a pledge in September, the government has yet to fund the development of a ‘Canadian sovereign cloud.’
The promised defence industrial strategy offers a significant opportunity to advance Canada’s innovation performance and the high-value jobs that should go with it. The biggest question is how we build the leadership and management skills that are essential for success.
Canadian firms show we’re leading the world on bringing digital innovation to democracy and governance, but this country’s comprehensive dual-use strategy is a work in progress. By developing, deploying and exporting dual-use technologies, Canada can grow the economy while strengthening national and global security.
The recent introduction of a $100,000 fee per year for H-1B visas is presented as a measure to protect American workers. In practice, it threatens to accelerate brain drain.
Large American firms are ‘kind of monopolizing’ health care procurement in Canada, says Council of Canadian Innovators’ Skaidra Puodžiūnas.
As we stand at the threshold of the AI Age, Canadian policymakers and citizens must ask: What kind of press do we want? And what kind of democracy can we keep?
Canada can’t close its productivity gap while a generation of young workers loses out to automation. Delivering an AI plan that protects youth is a test of political credibility. Will Carney’s government pass it?
While solid cyber security systems were developed to protect government networks and systems, Auditor General Karen Hogan found not all departments, agencies, and Crown corporations use the security systems available to them.
Far too much money is being spent on long-odds bets that some new artificial intelligence tech will appear that justifies the current ridiculously high level of investment.
Ninety-four per cent of public servants surveyed this summer say citizens’ data must be stored within Canada, and 86 per cent worry about public trust eroding if such data is stored outside of the country.
