Experts call on parties to weigh in on AI policy during federal election

Deloitte signage is pictured in the financial district in Toronto on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj)

OTTAWA — With artificial intelligence technology at an inflection point, a new report says the federal election needs to include a real debate about how the government approaches AI.

The Deloitte report released last week is calling for a system of public investment in AI — one which would identify and focus on areas of AI tech where Canada enjoys competitive strengths.

“We would like the candidates to have a view on adoption” of AI technology, said Audrey Ancion, who leads the Deloitte AI Institute. “Ideally, we would like our country to have a plan for how it is going to pursue trustworthy, responsible and valuable AI.”

The report says current incentives for AI development and deployment in Canada are fragmented and there’s not enough support for turning good ideas into marketable products.

That commercialization gap is a persistent point of weakness for Canada. Even former prime minister Justin Trudeau admitted last year this country hasn’t always been “great at commercializing.”

In its report, Deloitte says the federal government should focus its investments on areas of AI development that have the biggest potential for economic growth and social benefits.

The report, which addresses both the government and business cases for AI, also argues there is a need to build trust in AI and ensure the technology is used for good.

The report says the decisions being made now on AI will affect Canada’s productivity and national security, the resilience of its critical infrastructure and its “influence on the world stage” — and will have profound effects on Canadians’ daily lives.

“We think we’re at a unique time, and this is a perfect storm for Canada to craft a bold vision for AI and a practical, action-driven framework,” Ancion said. She suggested that Canada follow the example of the European Union, which set concrete targets for the number of companies it wants to see using cloud AI or big data by 2030.

Ancion said election candidates also should start thinking about “concrete applications for AI for key sectors in Canada.” The report suggested the areas of focus could include health, primary industries such as agriculture, mining and forestry, and financial services.

Canada was an early mover on AI and became the first country to have a national AI strategy in 2017. Its strength in AI research comes in part from three national research institutes and the so-called “godfathers” of AI — Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton.

Last year’s federal budget included an additional $2.4-billion investment in AI, with the bulk of the money going toward providing access to computing capabilities and technical infrastructure.

Ancion said with Canada now embroiled in a trade war with the United States, Ottawa needs to encourage Canadian-made AI by retaining jobs and attracting key talent here.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney talked about artificial intelligence during his run for party leadership and over his first few days as prime minister. AI was on the agenda for his recent meetings with his British and French counterparts, and when he launched his election campaign, he spoke about using AI to improve productivity in government.

Public engagement consultant Don Lenihan, who has written articles about AI and national industrial policy, said Carney hasn’t quite put forward a policy approach to AI but is “clearly very aware of the developments going on.” Lenihan pointed to a moment during the Liberal leadership debate when Carney linked AI with Canadian sovereignty.

During a discussion about U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada, Carney said a “huge element of securing Canada” is related to information technology and artificial intelligence.

“It’s crucial that we’re building those capabilities on Canadian technologies, to Canadian values, to protect Canadians, because we can’t rely on foreign suppliers for them,” he said. “That is one of the new realities that are there.”

In one of his first moves as prime minister, Carney ordered a review of the government’s purchase of American F-35 fighter jets. Critics have warned that the jets are highly computerized and manufacturer Lockheed Martin is refusing to share the full source code.

“I think the real point he was making in the leadership debate is that as we develop this infrastructure and we are being served with AI products created and controlled and developed in the United States … then we’re kind of at their mercy,” Lenihan said.

The Liberals didn’t answer when asked for more information about their AI policies.

A Conservative spokesperson pointed to a March 20 announcement by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on creating pre-approved construction permits for major resource or energy projects, and Poilievre’s pledge to “unleash hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in power plants, nuclear energy, mines, pipelines, data centres and much more.”

An NDP spokesperson said in a media statement the party agrees the election is an opportunity to have a broad discussion about AI.

“Our priority would be to work with industry and with workers to ensure that possible benefits are shared, and possible risks are managed,” NDP campaign spokesperson Anne McGrath said in a media statement, adding the party has raised concerns about the energy used by AI data centres, AI’s impacts on privacy and its use by landlords.

“AI is moving so quickly that it is imperative that the government put in place a regulatory framework which does not leave Canadians behind,” she said.

Lenihan said some politicians may believe that the voting public doesn’t understand enough about AI and that any policy conversation might “just go over people’s heads.”

“There’s a lot of concern and worry, and it’s very hard to explain where we’re going to go with this,” he said.

Ancion said Canadians’ low level of trust in AI means “we do need to make sure that we increase literacy across the board, to make sure that within schools, within the workplace, people understand both the benefits and limitations of AI.”

She suggested Canada could put more emphasis on its safety institute. In 2024, world leaders agreed to build a network of publicly backed safety institutes to advance research and testing of AI technology.

The Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, which was launched in November, will work on questions about bias, the reliability of AI systems and their predictions and their potential for privacy breaches.

“I think it would be great to hear more from Ottawa around how this will play a role and how this will increase safety for AI,” Ancion said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press