Canada’s leading telecom companies are stepping into the spotlight of the federal government’s push for “digital sovereignty,” using the All In AI Conference in Montreal to showcase their ambitions in artificial intelligence and secure digital infrastructure.
Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic emphasized that sovereignty in today’s shifting geopolitical climate is “super critical,” stressing that AI compute power, secure data storage, networking, and trust must all remain under Canadian control. “Large companies like Bell have always been part of Canada’s economic fabric. Now, with AI, we’re making sure the Canadian tech ecosystem is at the centre of sovereignty,” Bibic said.
Bell is currently advancing its AI Fabric project, which will include six new AI data centres in British Columbia, making it the largest AI compute initiative in Canada. In partnership with Toronto-based AI leader Cohere, Bell aims to deliver end-to-end sovereign AI solutions to governments and enterprises, integrating Cohere’s advanced agentic AI platform, North, into its infrastructure.
Telus also made a major announcement at the conference, unveiling what it described as Canada’s first fully sovereign AI Factory. The facility will provide AI compute capacity to businesses and institutions across the country. “This is the continuation of how we’ve always built infrastructure for Canada, from cable to fibre to wireless, and now to AI,” said Jaime Tatis, Senior Vice-President and Chief AI Officer at Telus.
The federal government has reinforced the importance of sovereignty in digital and AI strategy. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recently established Major Projects Office has made building a “sovereign cloud” a national priority, while Industry Minister Mélanie Joly told the conference that Canada must focus on building new alliances and prioritizing national economic strength through AI innovation.
Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon framed digital sovereignty as a digital economy “that someone else can’t decide to turn off,” underscoring the urgency of Canadian-led infrastructure.
With federal support and growing collaboration between major telcos and AI innovators, Canada is positioning itself to safeguard its digital future while creating new opportunities for growth in a competitive global economy.