Ottawa — As the Carney government positions artificial intelligence at the centre of its economic growth strategy, innovators and researchers are urging Ottawa to tighten regulations and implement robust guardrails to ensure the technology benefits Canadians without undermining privacy, security, or sustainability.
Valérie Pisano, CEO of Mila, Quebec’s influential AI research institute, said current safeguards rely too heavily on voluntary measures by big tech firms, which she described as insufficient. “We’ve done this before with aviation, pharma, and nuclear. We know how to set guardrails without stifling innovation,” Pisano told CBC’s The House.
She highlighted emerging risks—from AI’s impact on children and job displacement to its role in intimate human–AI relationships—noting that while the technology can help socially isolated youth build skills, it can also deepen disengagement from real-world human interaction.
Federal AI Minister Evan Solomon acknowledged both the promise and dangers of AI, saying his department will table new data privacy legislation by year’s end, while a multi-ministerial approach tackles issues like online harms and Criminal Code updates. A new AI Strategy Task Force has been asked to deliver recommendations in November, covering research, commercialization, safety, investment, and public trust.
Some experts have criticized the task force for being too industry-heavy, noting that only a handful of members focus on safe AI systems and public trust.
In the health sector, Frédéric Leblond, co-inventor of the AI-powered surgical tool “Sentry,” said AI is already transforming cancer detection in real time during surgeries. But he warned that biases in training data—like algorithms built primarily on young male patients—underscore the need for evolving, rigorous regulations.
Meanwhile, Canada’s ambitions for AI dominance depend on energy-intensive data centres. The federal government has pledged up to $700 million under the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy to grow domestic data infrastructure. But experts like Hamish van der Ven of UBC caution that without strict zero-emissions regulations, these centres could undermine climate goals.
Angela Adam, SVP of eStruxture, Canada’s largest data centre provider, called data centres “the base layer” of AI innovation and key to national data sovereignty, stressing that how Canada powers them will define its technological future.
Solomon said energy regulation remains primarily provincial but noted any data centre tied to Canada’s grid must comply with clean electricity rules.
The federal government now faces a pivotal challenge: how to scale AI rapidly while maintaining public trust, privacy protections, sustainable energy use, and ethical standards. The choices made in the coming months could shape whether AI makes or breaks Canada’s technological future.