Live updates: King Charles set to arrive in Ottawa Monday afternoon
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to arrive in Ottawa Monday afternoon, a day before his majesty delivers the Speech from the Throne to open the 45th Parliament of Canada.
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Toronto Star
12 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Carney government balancing AI regulation against the promise to unlock its potential
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Mark Carney believes artificial intelligence is key to unlocking Canada's economic potential. He carved out a specific ministry for the file, installing former broadcaster Evan Solomon as the country's first-ever minister of AI. The 'transformative nature' of the technology garnered a mention in the sole mandate letter he issued for his cabinet. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Capitalizing on the use of AI is one of Carney's three 'core missions' as he prepares to host next week's G7 leaders' summit. Yet among the nascent Liberal government's ambitious promises to return Canada to its position as a global AI leader, promote the widespread adoption of the technology, and invest in the infrastructure needed to do so, there are no concrete pledges to regulate the sprawling uses of the rapidly evolving tools. 'AI is a fundamentally transformative technology and has the capacity to change the way we do almost everything. So I see this as just a point in history where we are transforming the way our markets work, the way our societies work, and we want that to be good,' said Gillian Hadfield, a professor of AI alignment and governance at Johns Hopkins University, and former member of the Canadian AI Advisory Council. 'When I look around the world, I see governments that have not really figured out: 'What do we need to do in the legal and regulatory space to manage this transition well?'' On Tuesday, Solomon danced around the issue of regulation, noting the difficulties of spurring AI development while also ensuring the technology is deployed responsibly. 'It's easy for editorials to write: 'Just find the right balance. Don't be so unconstrained as the U.S. and China, who see any regulation as a constraint on security or innovation. But don't be too overly protective like Europe,'' Solomon said at a Canada 2020 conference in Ottawa. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'OK. Perfect. Easy. Throw the dart, blindfolded, after six beers.' What Solomon did suggest is that the Carney government will distance itself from the previous Liberal government's appetite for imposing regulations. 'We are moving from our back foot of just warning and overindexing on warnings and regulation, to our front foot, to make sure that the Canadian economy and all Canadians benefit from … using this technology productively,' he said. Carney has pushed for advancing AI in myriad ways, from pledging to build data centres, proposing tax credits that would incentivize businesses to adopt the technology, and using it to improve government efficiency. But his government has not addressed what will happen to the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), which was folded into a larger bill aimed at updating privacy laws and creating a regulatory framework for AI. The bill never became law due to the suspension of Parliament earlier this year and the triggering of a snap spring election. The act was a particularly contentious prong of the proposed legislation, with critics blasting the act for concentrating too much power in unwritten regulations, concerns that having the same ministry simultaneously regulate and champion AI would introduce conflicts, and a lack of clarity on what AI systems it would apply to and what kinds of harms the legislation would minimize. But some experts urged the government to swiftly pass the legislation, warning that Canada was falling 'out of sync' with the uncontrollable pace at which technology was being used. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Solomon referenced the bill Tuesday, saying he wouldn't 'abandon regulation,' but that Canada will need to 're-examine, in this new environment, where we're going to be on that.' Ignacio Cofone, a professor of AI regulation at the University of Oxford and former Canada research chair in data governance at McGill University, told the Star in an email that it was critical that Canada move forward with an improved version of the act. 'AI systems already shape decisions in consequential areas as diverse as housing, employment, health care, and criminal justice, often in opaque and unaccountable ways,' Cofone wrote, adding that industry, which has 'incentives to prioritize profit' should not be left to regulate itself. Two former senior government officials with knowledge of the previous government's AI strategy told the Star, on the condition they not be named, that they believe the Carney government will take a more hands-off approach. One source said they believed that Carney is likely wary of the 'political mess' the Trudeau government found itself in as it crafted its legislation. 'Every day Canada doesn't advance its own responsible use policies or regulatory frameworks, we are just going to be further and further behind,' the source said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Another source said that while they agreed that Canada cannot 'overregulate' the industry, particularly in the face of unprecedented trade disputes with the U.S., 'it shouldn't be controversial to say that we need to enshrine rights for Canadians against some of these uses.' Teresa Scassa, a Canada research chair in information law and policy at the University of Ottawa, said Canada appears to be stuck between Europe — which last year passed the world's first AI regulation law — and the U.S., which has dismantled efforts to address the risks of the technology. Scassa said a Canadian AI regulation law could be leveraged in the country's trading relationship with the EU, potentially allowing Canadian companies to do business in Europe. 'On the other hand, we have a government south of the border that sees everything through a trade lens. And if Canada has strong AI regulation or even weak AI regulation, that could be seen as a trade irritant,' Scassa said. But Hadfield said the government should not be looking at innovation and regulation as mutually exclusive objectives. 'Our economies are built on good, reliable, legal infrastructure. And if the economy is changing so rapidly with this very different technology … then we absolutely need to be thinking very hard about governance,' Hadfield said. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
CTV News
14 hours ago
- CTV News
Government rejects Bloc's call to split internal trade, major projects legislation
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Steven MacKinnon arrives for a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says the Liberals won't split up Bill C-5, legislation introduced last week to push forward projects deemed to be in the national interest. The bill has two parts. The first portion addresses internal trade barriers the Liberals have promised to tackle by July 1, while the second part would make sweeping changes to speed up approvals of major projects. The Bloc Québécois says splitting the legislation into two bills would allow the House of Commons to quickly pass the internal trade portion and meet the deadline while thoroughly studying the environmental implications of the major projects proposal. The minority Liberal government needs the support of at least four MPs from another party to pass the bill. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his party will support legislation that gets new projects built — but he also said he wants the current bill amended to go even further. Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested last week he would consider extending the House sitting into July to get the legislation passed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025. Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
National Post
15 hours ago
- National Post
'We lost touch': Former NDP MP Charlie Angus calls election an 'unmitigated disaster' for the party
Article content OTTAWA — Former NDP MP Charlie Angus says he does not intend to run for party leadership, but called the recent election campaign 'an unmitigated disaster' for New Democrats. Article content Angus, who did not seek reelection after first entering the House of Commons in 2004, appeared on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to express concerns he has heard from people about U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to attend the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta. Article content Article content He also shared feedback he heard about the New Democratic Party itself. Article content Article content 'The election was a disaster, unmitigated disaster, for the New Democratic Party,' Angus told reporters. Article content 'I feel two things: One is that people feel that the party lost touch by becoming very much a leader-focused group, as opposed to the New Democratic Party of Canada.' Article content The NDP lost 17 seats in the recent federal election, including the seat of its former leader, Jagmeet Singh, who stepped down from his role. It was the party's worst ever showing in a Canadian election. With only seven MPs, the party was left without official party status in the House of Commons, which curtails the amount of resources a party can receive, making their work in Parliament more challenging. The last time the NDP lost party status was in 1993. Article content Angus says he's heard from people who want to see a three-party system in Canada and that 'we need to rebuild the New Democratic Party.' Article content He pointed to the Liberals' marquee bill, which proposes ushering in a new approval process to fast-track major energy and infrastructure projects, which has been met with concerns from environmental groups and First Nations leaders. Article content Article content That bill, Angus said, was an example of why the country needs a 'progressive left-wing party' at parliamentary committees to ensure that legislation gets passed that serves the country's interests. Article content 'And right now we've lost that ability, he said. Article content 'This issue of renewal of the party is super important. But we have to understand that if we are (a) social democratic party, we have to be a democratic party from the grassroots. We have to re-engage with people. We lost touch, and we have to be honest about that.' Article content Angus called Davies 'the obvious choice' to serve as the party's interim leader until it holds a leadership race to select a new permanent leader.
