Minister of AI Evan Solomon says Canada can’t let Silicon Valley decide its future

Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon has a message for Silicon Valley’s AI titans: keep the innovation coming, but don’t expect Canadians to bow down.

Solomon was speaking Wednesday at the University Club of Toronto as part of a special fireside chat hosted by Ewing Morris and Toronto Life. Ewing Morris CEO and co-founder Darcy Morris summarized the importance of the event in his keynote address: "“The bigger question isn’t only whether AI technology works. It’s whether we build enough of it here. We have the energy resources. But do we have the ambition and capital to build our own AI capacity and infrastructure?”

Moderator and Toronto Life publisher Jason Maghanoy then jumped right into it, asking Solomon if he trusted American oligarchs—such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman or Anthropic’s Dario Amodei—to shape Canada’s AI future.

It was a fair question. OpenAI has been mired in controversy over its AI chatbot’s output, including parents alleging that ChatGPT encouraged their children to take their own lives, and Canadians are understandably suspicious of their would-be AI overlords. In fact, according to a study from the federal government, the population is evenly split on the matter, with half viewing the technology as a threat to humanity.

“It’s not about whether I trust them,” Solomon responded. “It’s about whether I want those guys to make the rules for us. And the answer is absolutely not. They’re not elected officials. They have no accountability to citizens.”

“We don’t have any control over guys like Altman, but we do benefit from their continuous innovations,” he clarified. “My job is to make sure that we are open to opportunities, candid about the future, and create a reliable, safe way to import and build the best innovation in the world, here in Canada.”

The event drew a packed crowd of Bay Street types, all eager to hear how Canada’s first-ever minister of artificial intelligence planned to navigate the most consequential technological shift in generations. The members-only University Club was buzzing with executives and entrepreneurs in navy suits and tailored skirts, all seated under the heritage venue’s glittering chandeliers and vaulted ceilings.

Throughout the conversation, Solomon returned to the same refrain: Canada needs to supercharge its AI capabilities—and fast. “We can either build the infrastructure here or rent it from other people,” he said. And a homegrown strategy means Canadians can decide their own laws and rules.

Solomon also spent much of the morning selling Ottawa’s new AI strategy, dubbed “AI for All,” a sprawling plan that allocates billions for data centres and computing infrastructure. “We are in a moment to build this country,” Solomon said. “If we don’t build the infrastructure, someone else will.”

Fortunately, he argued, Canada is entering the AI race from a position of strength. The country counts Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton—the Toronto-based “godfather of AI”—among its researchers and is home to roughly 3,500 AI companies employing roughly 150,000 people.

And yet, for all its academic firepower, Canada still struggles to put the technology to work. According to the federal AI strategy, only about 12 per cent of Canadian businesses reported using AI to produce goods or services between mid-2024 and mid-2025, placing Canada near the bottom of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for adoption.

“We have the best research in the OECD, and yet we are at the lower end of AI adoption,” said Solomon, teasing a forthcoming federal AI-literacy initiative, designed to get more Canadians comfortable with the technology.

Maghanoy then pointed out that not everyone shared Solomon’s rosy outlook: Hinton—whose Vector Institute stands a few blocks north of the University Club at the MaRS Centre—has repeatedly warned that AI could eventually pose an existential threat to humanity. Maghanoy then mentioned that many young Canadians feel AI is already making it harder to land a first job. Solomon gently cut him off.

“Let me just ask you, Is there any evidence of that?” he said. “What is the data that you’re basing that statement on?” He then referenced the Bank of Canada, which has said there is little evidence that AI is causing widespread job losses. But Solomon did acknowledge that AI could eventually displace some workers. He said his ministry is approaching that challenge pragmatically, focusing on education, skills training and job creation.

Maghanoy eventually opened the floor to questions, the first coming from Malcolm Johnston, editor-in-chief of Toronto Life, who asked how Canada could simultaneously encourage investment in domestic AI companies while introducing regulations designed to keep users safe.

How, Johnston wondered, do you prevent companies from simply relocating to jurisdictions with lighter rules?

Solomon acknowledged the tension but argued that regulation and innovation need not be at odds, pointing to highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and commercial aviation, where clear rules have helped build public trust rather than stifle growth.

“When you have FDA approval of a drug, it creates value,” Solomon said. “Regulation creates value.”