CANADA

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Canada was the first country to launch a national AI strategy: the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, announced in 2017, with a budget of CAD$125 million for five years. Lead by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), the strategy has four main objectives: increase the number of outstanding AI researchers and skilled graduates in Canada; establish interconnected nodes of scientific excellence; develop global thought leadership on the economic, ethical, policy, and legal implications of advances in AI; and support a national research community on AI.

Three national AI institutes (established in 2017) are also closely involved in the implementation of the strategy: Amii in Alberta, Mila in Montréal, and the Vector Institute in Toronto. In addition, an Advisory Council on AI was established in 2019 to ‘advise the Government of Canada on building Canada’s strengths and global leadership in AI’.

Two key components of the Canadian AI strategy include the Canada CIFAR AI Chair Program – a CAD$86.5-million programme focused on attracting and retaining world-leading AI researchers in Canada – and the AI & Society programme, focused on exploring the implications of AI for society. The country is also allocating resources to support the application of AI across various industry sectors, to harness the economic potential of AI and position Canada as a global export leader; one example being the CAD$230-million investment for the AI-Powered Supply Chains Supercluster (SCALE.AI).

Beyond the overall goal of positioning Canada among the world leaders in AI, the government is also considering the role of AI and related technologies in safeguarding national defence and security. For example, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces note, in their Defence and Security Science & Technology Strategy, that ‘Canada’s military […] relies on science and technology to neutralise threats and retain an edge over potential adversaries’ and give the example of automation and robotics which ‘are helping to minimize risks to personnel and enabling rapid analysis of large data streams.’ Autonomous systems and robotics have featured in various calls for proposals run by the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security Program, and are also under the scope of the Institute for Research in Defence and Security. Another example is the Digital Navy Initiative, whose scope also covers AI and machine learning capabilities. 

The potential implications of AI for Canada’s democratic process are being carefully considered by authorities. The 2019 update of the Cyber Threats to Canada’s Democratic Process report – elaborated by the Communications Security Establishment – notes that ‘evolving technology underpinned by AI, such as deep fakes, will almost certainly allow threat actors to become more agile and effective when creating false or misleading content intended to influence voters, and make foreign cyber interference activity more difficult to detect and mitigate.’

Canada is contributing to the work of the Group of Governmental Experts on lethal autonomous weapons systems (GGE on LAWS). As a general position on LAWS, Canada is committed to ‘maintaining appropriate human involvement in the use of military capabilities that can exert lethal force’, in line with its Defence Policy.

Canada is actively engaged in AI-related international dialogue. In 2018, Canada and France announced their intention to lead the creation of an International Panel on AI, to facilitate multistakeholder international co-operation ‘to support and guide the responsible adoption of AI that is human-centric and grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic growth’. This intention was reinforced in 2019. Canada also hosted the G7 Multistakeholder Conference on AI in December 2018. As a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canada has endorsed the OECD Principles on AI.

AUGMENTED/VIRTUAL REALITY

‘Science and technology plays a critical role in contributing to Canada’s defence and national security, providing the technological and knowledge advantage necessary to develop the right military capabilities and prepare for an uncertain and potentially dangerous future’, note the Canadian Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces in their Defence and Security Science & Technology Strategy.

In line with this strategy, Canada’s defence and military institutions are paying particular attention to research and development activities and staying up-to-date with technological progress, including in the area of advanced and emerging digital technologies. Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) is one such technology, which is being used or experimented with in various scenarios. Examples include:

• AR/VR within the scope of a Centre of Expertise for Human System Performance within the Institute for Research in Defence and Security.
• AR/VR within the scope of the Digital Navy Initiative.
• AR/VR in the context of the training system.

5G

The Canadian government estimates that 5G technologies could add up to CAD$40 billion annually to the national economy by 2026. To support this economic growth and enhance the country’s economic competitiveness, the government is supporting the development and deployment of 5G, through policies dedicated, among others, to modernising spectrum equipment and making spectrum available for 5G networks.

At the same time, the government is also reviewing the potential security implications of 5G technologies. The 5G security review follows the model of the Security Review Program for 3G/4G/LTE. It is being undertaken by Public Safety Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Communications Security Establishment, Global Affairs Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The results of this review are expected to clarify the position of the Canadian government with regard to the potential role of Huawei in the deployment of 5G networks in the country.

INTERNET OF THINGS

At the national level, Canada is encouraging the deployment of smart city solutions to ‘improve the lives of residents through innovation, data and connected technology’. One initiative in this direction is the Smart Cities Challenge – a nationwide competition to encourage innovation at the level of municipalities, local or regional governments, and indigenous communities. 

The country is also supporting  innovation and research related to the Internet of Things (IoT), with the overall goal of achieving excellence in this field. The Digital Technologies Research Centre within the National Research Council, for example, carries out and funds research focused on using IoT technologies to solve real problems.

As the number of connected devices increases and smart city solutions are deployed throughout the country, the security risks that come with them grow exponentially. This reality is reflected in Canada’s National Cyber Security Strategy, which highlights the need to protect the security of connected devices, technologies, and critical infrastructures.

In 2018, the Internet Society; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; the Canadian Internet Registration Authority; the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic; and CANARIE initiated a multistakeholder process for the development of recommendations to enhance IoT security in Canada. The process, finalised in April 2019, resulted in a series of recommendations aimed to inform national policy related to IoT security in Canada.

BLOCKCHAIN

As noted in the country’s National Cyber Security Strategy, the Canadian government ‘recognises the potential of blockchain for secure service delivery and for wider economic and societal benefits’. As such, Canadian institutions are exploring the potential of blockchain in civilian and military applications alike. For instance, the Canada Border Services Agency has been experimenting the use of blockchain technologies to facilitate the movement of goods and improve data quality, while Natural Resources Canada is funding a project in which blockchain is used to provide real-time tracking and management of distributed energy resources participation in providing energy services.

The country is also supporting blockchain-related innovation and research, with the overall goal of achieving excellence in this field. The Digital Technologies Research Centre within the National Research Council, for example, carries out and funds research focused on using blockchain to solve real problems.

Canada’s defence and military institutions have included blockchain within the scope of their innovation and research and development activities. To illustrate, the Royal Canadian Navy is interested in the potential of blockchain in improving the management of the naval material supply chain activities, as noted in the Digital Navy Initiative.

In the specific field of digital currencies, Canada’s central bank – the Bank of Canada – is researching the benefits and risks of digital currencies, while also working on enabling the issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), ‘should the need ever arise’. The official position of the bank with regard to CBDCs is that Canada does not need its own digital currency right now, but that the bank should be prepared ‘for a future where Canadians may need’ such an instrument. The institution is co-operating with other central banks on assessing the potential implications of CBDCs.

QUANTUM COMPUTING

Canada prides itself on having established ‘a strong base of expertise and leadership in quantum computing’ and is determined to maintain excellence in this field, in particular by supporting research and development activities.

The Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo is leading the country’s efforts in quantum computing research and development. Quantum information and security also feature among the focus areas of the Security and Disruptive Technologies Research Centre within the National Research Council. In addition, the National Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research are coordinating a Quantum Canada programme to foster co-operation among the public and private sector actors working on quantum technologies and to ‘ensure that Canada maintains and expands its present-day advantage in this emerging sector’. 

The Canadian Space Agency is running the Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite Mission to demonstrate quantum key distribution in space, and thus create a new type of encryption technology that is expected to ‘provide Canada with secure communications in the age of quantum computing’. 

But beyond the promises of quantum computing, there are also challenges, as noted in the National Cyber Security Strategy: ‘The arrival of quantum computing will undercut the security of traditional encryption, requiring that Canadians have quantum-resistant solutions at their disposal.’