MONTREAL — The federal government is putting together a task force to guide its next steps on artificial intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon made the announcement at the All In artificial intelligence conference in Montreal on Wednesday.
The task force will include about 20 representatives from industry, academia and civil society. The government says it won’t reveal the membership until later this week.
Solomon said task force members are being asked to consult with their networks, suggest “bold, practical” ideas and report back to him in November.
The group will look at various topics relating to AI, including research, adoption, commercialization, investment, infrastructure, skills, and safety and security.
Both the task force and the feedback the government plans to solicit from the public will contribute to a “refreshed” federal AI strategy, which Solomon said will be ready by the end of this year.
Canada was the first country to launch a national AI strategy, which the government updated in 2022. The strategy focuses on commercialization, the development and adoption of AI standards, talent and research.
Solomon also teased a “major quantum initiative” coming in October to ensure quantum computing talent and intellectual property stay in the country.
“The goal here is not to be the farm team for someone else’s economy. We’re not growing companies only to have someone buy it up and move,” he said.
Solomon called digital sovereignty “the most pressing policy and democratic issue of our time” and stressed the importance of Canada having its own “digital economy that someone else can’t decide to turn off.”
Solomon said the federal government’s recent focus on major projects extends to artificial intelligence. He compared conversations on Canada’s AI framework to the way earlier generations would talk about a national railroad or highway.
“We have to include a digital infrastructure to build the economy of the future,” he said.
Solomon also spoke about the need for public trust in AI and government investment in Canadian-made artificial intelligence tech.
After his speech Wednesday morning, the minister participated in a panel with Cohere, a Toronto-based firm that last month signed an agreement with Ottawa to work on AI in the public service.
— with files from Craig Lord in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2025.
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
