Following a 30-day national sprint in October 2025, the Canadian government received responses from over 11,000 citizens and 28 members of its AI Strategy Task Force. A renewed national AI strategy, expected to be released in 2026, will address the current patchwork of AI policies across provinces and schools. Key consultation outcomes emphasize two priorities: broad nationwide AI literacy programmes for all citizens and development of advanced AI expertise for specialized roles. The federal government is expected to establish a national regulatory framework and embed AI literacy across higher education in partnership with provinces. A binding national strategy remains under development but has not yet been formalized.
Who it affects: All Canadian students and workers if the emerging strategy proceeds as outlined in consultation findings. Current fragmentation means only about half of Canadian universities have formal generative AI policies. The anticipated federal framework would address this gap across K-12, higher education, and workforce training.
What is notably missing: The strategy has not yet been enacted; it is currently in development. No binding timeline for implementation has been announced. The consultation themes call for teacher professional development on AI but do not specify funding, requirements, or standards. While the Canadian Teachers’ Federation recommends curriculum updates, data protection laws, and ethics education, these remain recommendations rather than mandates. Canada ranked 44th in AI training and literacy out of 47 countries, yet the emerging strategy does not specify measurable targets for improvement. No detailed enforcement mechanism has been proposed. Without federal binding legislation, provinces may continue independent approaches, perpetuating inequality in access to AI literacy across the country.