Thursday June 4, 2026 | TORONTO, ON [Posted 9:03 am PT & updated 9:33 am & 7:01 pm PT | Updated June 5, 2026]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
New measures to ensure artificial intelligence (AI) is developed and adopted safely, and securely — and how that will improve the lives of all Canadians — was announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney today in Toronto.
This is a significant technological change for Canada and the world.
Building up Canada with resilience, being not obligated to other countries.
Canada already has five hyper-scale data centers (requiring 50 to 100 MW), three of which are in BC. There is one in Ontario and one in Quebec.
Apparently 96 more hyper-scale data centers are under development (approximately 90% of those in Alberta where electricity generation is deregulated), al of which will require over 100 MW.
Electricity and cooling:
Data centers generate a lot of heat so they need cooling (possibly impacting water supply in local areas) and they need a lot of electricity (impacting local a regional electricity grids). There are also noise considerations.
BC has for a few years already resisted the requests for electricity supply to large data centers.
Carney’s comments today:
Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, launched AI for All, Canada’s new national AI strategy. He was introduced by Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation.
“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,” it was stated by the prime minister today.
“Major transformation must be seized and Canada’s approach must be built on Canadian values and Canada’s strengths,” said Carney in this morning’s announcement hosted by the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto.
Canada is one of only four countries in the world with a large language model. It helps to safeguard digital technology and sovereignty.
Canada will “harness new technologies and deploy them,” said Carney, adding that “the defining technology of our era is here”.
In the last year that Carney has led the federal government, there are 20 new trading partners. Carney said today that 12 of those are partnering with Canada in AI.
Carney emphasized several times that the goal will be for Canadians to be in charge of AI, not the other way around. He also mentioned several times that child safety will be a priority for Canada and G7 partners as the technology evolves.
Giving people confidence:
“Canada’s new AI for All Strategy is about putting artificial intelligence to work for Canadians. It will give people the confidence to use AI safely, help businesses adopt it, and ensure more of the value is created here at home,” said Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
“This is how we protect people, grow our economy, reflect our values, and deliver real benefits in everyday life,” said Solomon.
NDP reaction:
The federal NDP says the AI for All document is “heavy on hype but light on the right guardrails that we need to protect people”, as stated in a new release on June 4.
The NDP cites concerns about workers (as to job availability).
It drives surveillance, said Don Davies in Ottawa on June 4. He also points out its heavy use of water.
The NDP claims that the Liberal government is “imposing a world-changing technology on all of us without any public debate”.
Davies is the MP for Vancouver Kingsway. He is Parliamentary Leader and Whip, takes on the critic roles for Defence, Natural Resources, and Northern and Atlantic Economic Development, and remains critic for Finance, as well as Industry and Jobs.
Conservative reaction:
The Conservative Party of Canada claims that the Liberal government AI strategy “does nothing” to address concerns about privacy invasion.
The strategy is “light on details” about jobs, saying that youth are “at the biggest risk of job displacement”, although it could be argued that youth will be the most readily adaptable to use of the new technology.
Green reaction:
“The Green Party has been clear: any prosperity AI may bring is meaningless if it comes at the expense of Canadian workers and families and the climate,” said the Green Party of Canada in a news release on June 5.
“As it stands, AI for All will result in even more wealth for very few, and a healthy environment for none,” say the Greens.
The Liberal government AI news release details are presented here:
AI for All: Canada’s new national artificial intelligence strategy
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.
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, we will:
- Protect Canadians from the risks and harms of AI by modernising legislative frameworks for the digital age that prioritise 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, we 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, we 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.
With AI for All, we will turn Canadian innovation into stronger companies, better public services, high-paying careers, and greater economic security and sovereignty. By protecting our privacy and our data, harnessing Canadian talent, and working with trusted partners, we will build a stronger, safer, and more sovereign economy. We will build a future where technology is developed and governed in ways that build Canada strong for all.
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