Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon said on Wednesday that the updated federal AI The strategy is due to be published in 2026, a delay he did not explain when giving evidence to parliamentarians.
In September Solomon spoke at a conference on artificial intelligence in Montreal that an “updated” strategy would be presented later this year, “almost two years ahead of schedule.”
In his opening statement, he told the House of Commons science and research committee that the strategy remained ahead of schedule, but instead said it would emerge “in the new year”.
Solomon highlighted several investments the government has made in the past year in artificial intelligence research and development, as well as supporting Canadian data centers and other infrastructure through a “sovereign computing strategy.”
“We are investing in all aspects of this ecosystem and therefore the future of our economy, especially in science and research,” he said.
In September, the Liberal government announced a new 28-member artificial intelligence “task force” that will consult with industry and other sectors in Canada on changes to federal strategy, giving it until the end of October in what Solomon called a “targeted sprint.”
He said “more than 11,300 Canadians have shared ideas through our public portal” that will complement the task force's findings, “the largest digital engagement in our department's history,” as well as dozens of stakeholder contributions.
The committee's vice-chairman, Bloc Québécois MP Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, expressed concern that allowing anonymous comments risks allowing foreign players to influence strategy.
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Solomon said all information about the public consultation, including a list of commenters, would be published along with the strategy.
He said his department is also working on privacy legislation to protect Canadians' and children's data online when using AI, but did not say when that legislation would be tabled.
Conservative MP Kelly DeRidder told Solomon that expert witnesses involved in the committee's study on artificial intelligence said “nothing” of the government's original AI strategy in 2017 was implemented, despite Ottawa spending more than $2 billion on the sector and committing another $2.4 billion in last year's budget.
Budget 2025 commits nearly $1 billion over five years “to support large-scale sovereign government artificial intelligence infrastructure” and outlines plans to bring artificial intelligence and quantum computing to the public sector and private industry.
DeRidder said Canada lags behind other G7 members in artificial intelligence innovation as it continues to develop and update its strategies.
“We don't need a new mission statement, minister, we need a strategy. So what is your strategy to commercialize and monetize Canadian innovation in Canada so that it stays in Canada and generates a positive net benefit for Canadian taxpayers,” she asked.
Solomon said Canada has “made tremendous progress” and pointed to recent Deloitte study This suggests that the Canadian AI sector contributed $100 billion to the national economy.
Conservatives have raised concerns about Canadian firms contracting with U.S. companies and selling their innovations overseas, to which Solomon said Ottawa is committed to prioritizing Canadian companies like Cohere.
Earlier this year, the Toronto-based artificial intelligence company signed a memorandum of understanding with Ottawa to work on artificial intelligence applications in the public service. It will also expand its presence in the United Kingdom under a separate agreement with the UK.
Solomon said the business decisions Canadian companies make are up to them, not the government or the government.
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