Canada rolls out $2.3 B AI strategy amid mixed worker sentiment

The Canadian government announced a $2.3 billion national artificial‑intelligence strategy aimed at closing an “adoption gap,” offering free AI training for all citizens, expanding the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative and investing $500 million to commercialise AI. The plan includes new privacy and online‑harms legislation, safeguards for chat‑bot interactions, and a target of up to 90,000 AI‑related jobs for young people and 250,000 jobs by 2031. Opposition parties criticised the lack of detail and called the measures insufficient.

A concurrent Angus Reid Institute poll shows that 62 % of Canadians have used AI at work, but 49 % say it has had no impact on productivity and 58 % report no change to work quality. Only 38 % perceive a boost, while 29 % note improved quality. About one‑third of workplaces have a formal AI policy, another third are developing one, and the remainder have none. Workers expect AI’s overall industry effect to be mixed, with 54 % foreseeing both upsides and downsides and only 11 % anticipating a clearly positive impact.