Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let\u2019s look at what happened today.<\/p>\n
The federal government will spend more than $2.3-billion through its new national artificial intelligence strategy, which lays out plans to increase business adoption, provide free training and literacy skills to Canadians, and boost funding options for start-ups. <\/p>\n
Joe Castaldo reports that the government is billing the highly anticipated, long-delayed strategy as a pragmatic approach<\/a> to a technology that could have profound implications for society and the economy. <\/p>\n Ottawa aims to instill trust in AI among Canadians<\/a>, without falling into an overly positive or negative view of the technology. It describes its strategy as \u201cAI for All.\u201d<\/p>\n The plan, originally targeted for release at the end of last year, was formally unveiled today in Toronto after months of anticipation from tech companies, researchers and civil society groups.<\/p>\n Ottawa\u2019s strategy covers the six pillars defined in the government\u2019s spring economic update: protecting Canadians from harm, AI skills training, business adoption, digital sovereignty<\/a>, helping AI companies scale and forging relationships with like-minded allies.<\/p>\n While protecting Canadians is the first pillar, the document does not propose new regulatory measures for AI. Instead, it reiterates Ottawa\u2019s intention to introduce new privacy and online harms laws, which have not been tabled yet.<\/p>\n The strategy provides no timeline for doing so. It says forthcoming bills will enshrine a fundamental right to privacy \u2013 a topic of much discussion during the last effort to update legislation under former prime minister Justin Trudeau \u2013 while strengthening citizens\u2019 control over data, and updating online safety rules.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to approach something of the size and scope of the AI transformation with a sense of humility. We know that we can\u2019t solve every issue here in one strategy,\u201d AI Minister Evan Solomon said in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s designed to evolve with new challenges and new opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n The strategy also set a number of goals, such as helping create 250,000 jobs through AI adoption by 2031. But the impact of AI on the labour market is highly uncertain, with many economists debating the categories of jobs that will be affected and how, as well as what, new roles will be created.<\/p>\n Also today, Parliamentary Budget Officer Annette Ryan released a report that projects larger federal deficits than Ottawa forecasted in its spring update.<\/p>\n The PBO\u2019s June Economic and Fiscal Outlook provides an independent assessment of the state of federal finances.<\/p>\n Finance Minister Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne released his spring economic update on April 28.<\/p>\n At that time, the government forecasted the size of the deficit<\/a> would be $66.9-billion in the fiscal year that ended March 31, followed by annual deficits that decline slightly over time, reaching $53.2-billion by 2030-31.<\/p>\n But Bill Curry reports that<\/a> today\u2019s PBO report says the deficit for the 2025-26 fiscal year is likely to come in higher, at $72-billion, or 2.2 per cent of GDP.<\/p>\n The PBO says it expects the size of the deficit will be $4.6-billion higher each year on average over the forecast period.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Prime Minister Mark Carney inspects a pig’s lungs during an AI demonstration as he visits Toronto General Hospital on Thursday.Chris Young\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n This is the daily Politics Insider newsletter, curated by Ian Bailey<\/a>. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. You can sign up for more than 20 other newsletters on our signup page<\/a>.What else is going on<\/p>\n Conservative senators furious over failure to deliver 200,000 postcards<\/a> protesting anti-hate bill: As Bill C-9 nears the end of its parliamentary journey in the Senate, Conservatives are concerned that thousands of postcards protesting the bill were stored in a warehouse in Gatineau up until they were moved to the parliamentary precinct this week.<\/p>\n Manitoba minister calls for national trucking registry<\/a> after fatal accident involving decertified company: In an e-mailed statement, provincial Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor told The Globe and Mail that Ottawa must take action against \u201cbad actors\u201d in the trucking industry.<\/p>\n Canadian MPs join U.K.-based campaign<\/a> warning of extinction risk posed by superintelligent AI: The ControlAI campaign group is warning superintelligent AI systems that can operate autonomously could compromise national security, escape human oversight and potentially pose an existential threat to humanity.<\/p>\n B.C. MLA Jordan Kealy charged with sexual assault:<\/a> The former Conservative MLA appeared to be on the cusp of returning to the BC Conservative caucus before today\u2019s announcement that a special prosecutor had approved a single charge of sexual assault.<\/p>\n NWT government announces federal funding for dental care:<\/a> The territory\u2019s Health Minister, Lesa Semmler, said the new measures \u2013 including $3-million for equipment \u2013 will fix long-standing barriers and bring dental care back to communities.<\/p>\n B.C. First Nations voice opposition to potential pipeline routes<\/a> revealed in Alberta draft maps: Both the federal and Alberta governments have faced criticism for not bringing First Nations into the planning much sooner in the process, as has become the accepted procedure for developing major projects.<\/p>\n Toronto Liberal MPs downplay provincial Billy Bishop<\/a> expansion plan: Liberal MPs hailing from the country\u2019s biggest city downplayed provincial plans to expand the Toronto island airport, following Premier Doug Ford\u2019s recent removal of impediments to realizing his goal.<\/p>\n On our radar<\/p>\n Prime Minister\u2019s Day: In Toronto, Mark Carney announced the government\u2019s AI strategy, and then toured an artificial intelligence institute and met with researchers. Later, Carney met with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley for a working lunch. Carney also met with Grenada\u2019s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell. And he attended the Bizot Conference meeting, engaging with curators and directors of some of the world\u2019s largest art museums.<\/p>\n Party Leaders: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was at the House of Commons. No schedule released for other party leaders.<\/p>\n Ministers on the Road:<\/p>\n In the rural Nova Scotia community of Chester Basin, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu announced a new industry-led alliance<\/a> aimed at growing the skilled workforce for Canada\u2019s mining industry, which is struggling to fill key jobs.<\/p>\n Quote of the Day<\/p>\n \u201cI challenge anyone to outnerd me when it comes to AI.\u201d – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, in Winnipeg today, responds to the federal government\u2019s new AI strategy.<\/p>\n Question period<\/p>\n Kevin Page was the first Parliamentary Budget Officer, starting his work in March, 2008. Annette Ryan, who began her work in April, is the latest to hold the office. Who was the second full-time budget officer?<\/p>\n Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.<\/p>\n PerspectivesOttawa wants \u2018AI for all.\u2019 But do all Canadians want AI in their lives?<\/a><\/p>\n Canadians must choose to embrace AI for the strategy to succeed. The strategy shows that the federal government broadly understands this challenge, but the critical task will be to bring Canadians along on the journey \u2013 not as helpless passengers, but as fellow sailors navigating this tumultuous and unknown water.<\/p>\n \u2014 Viet Vu is manager of economic research at the Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University. Andr\u00e9 C\u00f4t\u00e9 is executive director at the Dais.<\/p>\n AI gives God-like power to the vulnerable and the powerful \u2013 to everyone\u2019s peril <\/a><\/p>\n AI scrapes what humans have created and then serves our thinking back to us, puffed up by all that information but at the same time stripped of the humanity. The faux-friendly tone of its chatbots is annoying. But for a vulnerable person \u2013 and a society led by the immoral \u2013 it can be dangerous.<\/p>\n \u2014 Marsha Lederman, Columnist <\/p>\n Is Canada really in a recession?<\/a> Why the scary R-word says too much and too little<\/p>\n These are more genuine concerns about the state of our economy and they should be debated. But Mr. Poilievre\u2019s focus on whether we meet a colloquial definition of recession is doing neither his party nor Canadians a favour.<\/p>\n \u2014 Kevin Yin is a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail and an economics doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley.Go deeper<\/p>\n Got a news tip that you\u2019d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com<\/a>. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop<\/a>. <\/p>\n The answer to today\u2019s question: Jean-Denis Fr\u00e9chette was the second budget officer, filling the post after Sonia L\u2019Heureux held the job on an interim basis from March to September of 2013. Fr\u00e9chette held the post from 2013 to 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let\u2019s look at what happened today. 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