Prime Minister, Mark Carney on Thursday launched AI for All, Canada’s new national AI strategy.
Over the next five years, this strategy will introduce new legislation, investments, and programs that ensure AI is adopted responsibly, in a way that truly serves all Canadians – building trust, expanding opportunities, and reinforcing control of our sovereignty, said the government in a news release.
The AI for All Strategy targets an additional $200 billion of economic growth to create 250,000 new AI-related jobs over the next five years and to increase AI adoption from just over 12% to 60% by 2034. The strategy will provide up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians and make our industries more competitive in the global economy, it said.
“AI is here. The question is whether it will improve the lives of all Canadians or benefit only a few. AI can shorten our emergency room wait times and make a small business more competitive, if it is governed by Canadian values with a clear goal of improving the lives of all Canadians. That’s why we need an ambitious new strategy: AI for All. We will build trust so that all Canadians are empowered to use this technology safely and with confidence. AI that builds Canada strong for all: that is our mission,” said Carney.
Prime Minister Mark Carney
The government said Canadians must have confidence that AI is being developed and deployed safely, transparently, and in ways that reflect our values. Built on extensive national consultations with workers, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, industry, and community leaders, Canada’s AI for All Strategy is anchored in three guiding principles: building trust, creating opportunities, and reinforcing Canadian sovereignty.
To build trust, it said it will:
- Protect Canadians from the risks and harms of AI by modernizing legislative frameworks for the digital age that prioritize trust and safety and reduce the risks of AI. This includes:
- Strengthening protections for Canadians’ personal information, including against harmful practices such as deepfakes and surveillance pricing, and introducing an online safety regime to better protect social media and chatbot users; and
- Improving AI transparency so Canadians are better equipped to use AI safely and responsibly, while expanding the capabilities of the Canadian AI Safety Institute to conduct transparent evaluations of AI models.
- Strengthen multinational partnerships with trusted allies in areas such as research, talent, compute, and procurement.
- Through the newly formed Sovereign Technology Alliance, we will attract foreign investment, showcase Canadian talent abroad, and open new markets for Canadian firms; and
- Canada will leverage 12 international partnerships already signed to expand Canada’s AI industry, attract high-paying careers, and advance innovation.
To create opportunity, it sai will:
- Establish a National AI Literacy Initiative that will offer entry-level AI training for all Canadians.
- As part of this effort, AI literacy will reach 1 million entry-level post-secondary students and train more than 3,000 educators with AI learning kits in their classrooms. Free, accessible AI learning will include practical courses and sector-relevant modules.
- Provide access to trusted AI agents for every post-secondary student – from the arts and commerce to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and medicine.
- Provide up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians, helping them gain experience and thrive in the AI economy.
- Help small and medium-sized businesses adopt AI to support workers, raise productivity, and drive breakthroughs in priority sectors such as health, energy, transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, robotics, and government services.
- Launch the first AI Missions Program, with a flagship health mission to accelerate the adoption of AI in diagnostics, patient care, and system efficiency, delivering faster, better care for Canadians while strengthening Canada’s life sciences and health innovation ecosystem.
- Provide training and upskilling opportunities for workers from mid-career professionals to frontline workers so they can adapt to AI-enabled workplaces and access new opportunities. This includes employer-led training on AI-enhancing skills.
To reinforce sovereignty, it said it will:
- Build the foundations of sovereign Canadian AI: compute, cloud, connectivity, data, and talent so Canadian researchers, businesses, and public institutions can build and adopt AI on Canadian terms.
- Build a world-leading public AI supercomputer and invest in sovereign compute and cloud infrastructure, with a focus on high-performance computing that is sustainable and aligned with Canada’s clean energy expansion, robust environmental standards, and tangible benefits for local communities.
- Support globally competitive Canadian champions by improving access to growth capital, using government procurement as a strategic anchor customer, and helping Canadian AI companies access compute, commercialisation resources, and intellectual property protections.
- Expand Canada’s AI talent base through investments in the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) AI Chairs program and accelerated entry pathways for highly skilled workers through the Global Talent Stream.
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Entrepreneur. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 and 2024 as one of the top business journalists in the world by PR News. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024, 2025 and 2026.
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