The dangers of Canada leaving its digital sovereignty in American hands

Edmonton Journal

a day ago

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What are some of the biggest gaps in Canada's digital sovereignty?
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I think that we do lack, to a large extent, sufficient capacity to operate on our own, to have a digital ecosystem that can function without American companies. And so, if you think about our digital ecosystem, most social media platforms, if not all, are American companies. If you think about data centres, the main ones that are operating right now and that we rely on, are either in the United States or are owned by American companies on Canadian soil.
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On the regulatory side, we have also seen the government struggling over the years, to enforce its own regulations, or to even want to regulate these platforms. So we threaten these companies, Google and Meta, to basically leave the country.
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More recently, the government decided to move back on this decision to impose digital services taxes, and it's an example of where the Canadian government seems to be struggling, because it relies primarily on American companies.
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So to summarize what I just said, I think just this lack of the ability to offer basic digital services by Canadian companies is one of the big gaps right now.
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What risks could Canada face if it continues to rely heavily on U.S.-based cloud providers and tech companies?
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In times of crisis, they can be used as leverage against the Canadian government, so like during this trade negotiation, they can threaten to stop offering some services to Canada. There's also the risk that when the government tries to regulate these companies, they can just threaten to exit the country.
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What do you suggest Canada should do?
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I think there should be a strategy to invest and develop more national digital ecosystems, to reduce the reliance on American companies. It also should not shy away from regulating these big tech companies and level the playing field for Canadian companies. Basically, making sure they are being taxed, and that they contribute to the national economy.
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Also, promoting the use of more open source software, in public administration and the digital ecosystem, could help reduce reliance on big tech companies, and prioritize the development of more digital expertise in Canada.
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When you're thinking of all the big projects the government wants to launch, like big national infrastructure projects, I think it would be a good moment to invest in having more data centres owned by Canadian companies, funded by the government.