Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
“AI for All.” That’s what Canada’s federal government is calling its national AI strategy. It makes the case for building AI with confidence: a homegrown supercomputer by 2031, 60 per cent adoption by 2034. But the new strategy offers little about how it will govern the technology.
Ottawa attempted to answer those concerns with two landmark bills: the Safe Social Media Act, which regulates social media platforms and AI chatbots, and the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, which brings Canada’s privacy laws into the AI era. Together, these bills give the country something it’s never had: a single digital regulator with power to hold companies responsible.
It’s the most ambitious tech policy move this country has seen. And it’s drawing fire from every direction. Critics say a superregulator gives too much power to the government, that privacy and data should be treated separately, and that this is part of a wider government effort to control speech.
To dig into the details, we sat down with Evan Solomon, Canada’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and the architect of this agenda. We talk about why data means something new in the age of AI, how this regulator would actually work, and whether it could have stopped something like Grok’s controversial nudification feature – a case the current Privacy Commissioner says he’s powerless to stop.
Mentioned:
Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All
Backgrounder: Government of Canada introduces legislation to Protect Canadians’ Privacy in the Digital Age
Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act
Elon Musk's Grok AI tool under fire over digital undressing
Canada’s privacy commissioner expands investigation into ‘X’ over ‘Grok’
Yes, Musk's Grok chatbot is 'digitally undressing' women and children • FRANCE 24 English
Privacy Commissioner of Canada investigation into the Grok chatbot and sexualized deepfakes finds companies violated privacy law
Commissioner-initiated complaints concerning X Corp.’s and X.AI LLC’s compliance with PIPEDA
Canada has access to Anthropic’s powerful Mythos AI model, minister says
Subscribe to The Globe and Mail's Morning Update to get stories directly in your inbox: theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/subscribe-morning-update
“AI for All.” That’s what Canada’s federal government is calling its national AI strategy. It makes the case for building AI with confidence: a homegrown supercomputer by 2031, 60 per cent adoption by 2034. But the new strategy offers little about how it will govern the technology.
Ottawa attempted to answer those concerns with two landmark bills: the Safe Social Media Act, which regulates social media platforms and AI chatbots, and the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, which brings Canada’s privacy laws into the AI era. Together, these bills give the country something it’s never had: a single digital regulator with power to hold companies responsible.
It’s the most ambitious tech policy move this country has seen. And it’s drawing fire from every direction. Critics say a superregulator gives too much power to the government, that privacy and data should be treated separately, and that this is part of a wider government effort to control speech.
To dig into the details, we sat down with Evan Solomon, Canada’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and the architect of this agenda. We talk about why data means something new in the age of AI, how this regulator would actually work, and whether it could have stopped something like Grok’s controversial nudification feature – a case the current Privacy Commissioner says he’s powerless to stop.
Mentioned:
Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All
Backgrounder: Government of Canada introduces legislation to Protect Canadians’ Privacy in the Digital Age
Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act
Elon Musk's Grok AI tool under fire over digital undressing
Canada’s privacy commissioner expands investigation into ‘X’ over ‘Grok’
Yes, Musk's Grok chatbot is 'digitally undressing' women and children • FRANCE 24 English
Privacy Commissioner of Canada investigation into the Grok chatbot and sexualized deepfakes finds companies violated privacy law
Commissioner-initiated complaints concerning X Corp.’s and X.AI LLC’s compliance with PIPEDA
Canada has access to Anthropic’s powerful Mythos AI model, minister says
Subscribe to The Globe and Mail's Morning Update to get stories directly in your inbox: theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/subscribe-morning-update
