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Canada to invest up to $1.6B in Toronto-based AI company Cohere
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-29 17:12:24.0
Tags: [National, Economy, Technology, Industry, Infrastructure]The federal government of Canada announced an equity investment of up to $1.6 billion in Toronto-based artificial intelligence company Cohere as part of a broader $7 billion funding round led by Germany's Schwarz Group. The funding will support model development, products for regulated industries, and computing infrastructure, with Cohere committing to invest at least $1.7 billion in new computing infrastructure in Canada by 2030. Additional participants in the funding round include Nvidia and BCE subsidiary Bell Canada, ensuring Cohere's incorporation and headquarters remain in Canada.
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Carney’s Turkish defence tango: A dance of dollars, drones and overcoming distrust
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-25 20:01:24.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Defence, Industry, Technology]Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new strategic trade and defence partnership between Canada and Turkey during a visit to Istanbul and Ankara, aiming to reduce Canadian procurement reliance on the United States. The agreement follows the 2024 lifting of a de facto Canadian arms embargo—which had been imposed after Wescam camera equipment meant for NATO operations in Syria was illicitly diverted to Azerbaijan—and establishes that future military exports will undergo strict case-by-case permit reviews. Turkish officials and private companies, including drone manufacturer Baykar, have also expressed interest in making direct investments in Canada's aerospace and defence manufacturing sectors.
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NATO's race against time: Senior commander warns alliance must adapt faster to deter Russia
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-19 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Defence, Industry, Technology]NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation French Admiral Pierre Vandier warned during a visit to Ottawa that the Western military alliance's greatest vulnerability in deterring Russia is the slow speed of its defence procurement and a lack of manufacturing depth, rather than a shortage of raw weapons. Commenting alongside Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan, Vandier noted that Russia has adapted its military tactics and drone technology under fire during the conflict in Ukraine, while Western procurement institutions still take years to acquire software and hardware. The warning arrives as Canada's federal government pursues an unprecedented expansion of defence spending and industrial base modernization to meet broader NATO responsibilities.
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In Canada's drone-killing 'Sandbox,' companies compete for a $1M prize
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-17 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Alberta, Defence, Technology, Industry]The Department of National Defence hosted its fourth Counter-Uncrewed Aircraft Sandbox competition at the Suffield Research Centre in Alberta, offering a $1 million prize to spur domestic defence technology innovation. Two dozen companies from Canada, Australia, Finland, and the United States showcased detection and interception technologies, including laser-guided missiles developed by Calgary-based North Vector Dynamics and portable kinetic missiles by St. John's-based StrobelTEK. The initiative forms part of the federal government's Defence Drone Initiative to jump-start sovereign manufacturing capabilities in marine, underwater, ground, and aerial drone systems.
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AI-driven project to modernize New Brunswick forestry getting $50M boost from Ottawa
Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-14 20:19:53.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, National, Economy, Resources, Technology, Industry]The federal government is committing up to $50 million to help build the New Brunswick Strategic Innovation Centre in Digital Forestry. The total $86 million project, led by the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute in collaboration with ResearchNB and the provincial Department of Natural Resources, will use artificial intelligence and digital tools to better track wood supply, optimize logistics, and reduce empty truck miles. Forestry currently supports approximately 24,000 jobs in New Brunswick and contributes roughly $1.5 billion annually to the provincial economy.
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Atlantic Canadian businesses can now apply for nearly $40M in AI funding
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-14 18:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, National, Technology, Economy, Industry, Finance]The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has launched a federal funding program offering nearly $40 million for small and medium-sized businesses pursuing large-scale artificial intelligence projects costing at least $1 million. The funding supports two primary tracks: adopting AI into internal business operations, such as proposal development tools utilized by Cabco Technologies, or developing new AI solutions to bring to market. Applications for the program remain open until November 20. The initiative aims to address a regional adoption gap highlighted by the Atlantic Economic Panel, which reported that approximately 15 per cent of Atlantic Canadian businesses with 10 or more employees use AI, compared to 20 per cent nationally.
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N.W.T. is 1st to contribute drill cores for national library of mineral data
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-08 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Resources, Mining, Technology, Industry]The Northwest Territories has become the first Canadian jurisdiction to contribute drill core samples to the new Canadian Digital Core Library, a federally backed initiative supported by $40 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada. Developed by the Creative Destruction Lab in partnership with provinces, territories, and industry, the platform aims to make geological data freely available online for high-resolution scanning and artificial intelligence analysis. Donations from mining companies Valor Gold and Rackla Metals, alongside coordination by Industry Minister Caitlin Cleveland and the Northwest Territories Geological Survey, enabled the territory to pioneer the project, with at least 250,000 metres of scanned drill core slated for upload by March 2028.
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C-268 (45-1) - Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada Act
Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-10-07 09:49:49.0
Tags: [National, Technology, Industry, Governance]Private Member's Bill C-268, titled the Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada Act, was introduced in the 45th Parliament, 1st session, by Liberal Member of Parliament Marianne Dandurand representing Compton—Stanstead. The bill successfully completed second reading on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU). On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, the committee presented its report back to the House of Commons without amendments, advancing the bill to report stage.
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Ottawa launches new national AI council to advise on safety, deployment
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-02 20:58:51.0
Tags: [National, Technology, Industry, Governance]Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has launched the National Council on Artificial Intelligence to advise on Canada's national AI strategy, industrial adoption, infrastructure building, and technological safety. Over a dozen members were appointed to the council, including Yoshua Bengio (founder of LawZero), Valérie Pisano (CEO of Mila), Senator Tom Pitfield, and Patrick Pichette (CEO of Digital Transformation Canada). The initiative complements recent federal investments, such as $150 million directed toward safety-focused AI research models like Bengio's Scientist AI, amid heightened international concern regarding frontier AI risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
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Read a transcript of Carney’s speech to the European Parliament
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-09-17 18:21:30.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Industry, Technology, Defence]Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the European Parliament to pitch a deeper strategic and economic partnership between Canada and the European Union, focusing on cooperation in artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and defence. Highlighting existing agreements like CETA and the Strategic Partnership Agreement, Carney responded favorably to an invitation from EU leadership for Canada to become the EU's first associate member. He proposed bolstering collective resilience through seamless digital trade, joint access to frontier research programs such as Horizon and Erasmus Plus, and secure supply chains spanning over 34 critical minerals and clean energy technologies.
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Canada is investing $150M to make AI safer. Will it work?
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-16 23:58:11.0
Tags: [National, Quebec, Technology, Industry, Economy]The federal government is investing $150 million in LawZero, a Montreal-based non-profit AI lab founded by Yoshua Bengio, alongside a 100 million euro investment from the German government. The funding is directed toward developing "Scientist AI," a new safety-focused AI model designed to operate on objective truths without autonomous goals. This initiative coincides with a merger agreement between Canadian AI firm Cohere and German AI firm Aleph Alpha to bolster sovereign technological capacity.
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Canada, Ukraine forge 100-year pact built on drones and defence
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-10 18:15:05.0
Tags: [National, Alberta, Defence, Technology, Industry, Energy]Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 100-year strategic and political partnership in Calgary, Alberta, focusing on defence production, trade, energy, and critical minerals. Ottawa plans to establish a drone marketplace to produce millions of drones within two years by pairing Canadian firms with Ukraine's battle-tested industry, while expanding cooperation on counter-drone technology, munitions, and artificial intelligence. Additionally, Canada pledged over $430 million in loan guarantees for gas purchases to support Ukraine Energy Security Fund infrastructure repairs, alongside a $350 million air defence package.
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$3.1M federal funding aims to improve swine disease testing in Canada
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-04 18:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, National, Agriculture, Industry, Technology]The federal government is providing over $3.1 million in funding, administered by the Canadian Pork Council and supported by the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, to expand and modernize swine health surveillance across Canada. The initiative introduces multiplex assay technology capable of testing for seven pig viruses from a single sample at a cost of about $9 per target, significantly improving both cost and time efficiency compared to traditional individual tests. The project also establishes a targeted national proficiency program for veterinary labs and creates a secure surveillance database to track swine viruses and enhance early detection.
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Federal government launches digital transformation agency to modernize federal services
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-03 22:53:22.0
Tags: [National, Technology, Governance, Industry]The federal government is launching Digital Transformation Canada, a new federal agency under Minister Joël Lightbound designed to modernize public service delivery, reduce administrative burdens, and leverage federal procurement to support Canadian digital and artificial intelligence companies. The agency will combine Shared Services Canada with units from the Treasury Board Secretariat, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada. Former Google chief financial officer Patrick Pichette has been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the new agency to oversee its technological modernization and organizational changes.
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Canada ready to further distance itself from U.S. on military procurement
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-29 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Defence, Trade, Industry, Technology]Ottawa is shifting its military procurement strategy away from the United States amid ongoing tariff disputes, aiming to reduce reliance on American contractors and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) framework. Stephen Fuhr, head of the Defence Investment Agency, stated that the public has no appetite for sole-source American military contracts, putting procurements like Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets and potential Black Hawk helicopters under review. Concurrently, Canada is pursuing European and domestic alternatives, including negotiations with Swedish firm Saab for Gripen fighter jets and GlobalEye radar aircraft, and awarding a $2.3-billion Arctic military satellite communications contract to Telesat to reduce reliance on Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink network.
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Canada recruited 64 professors with new research fund. Three-quarters are from U.S. schools
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 21:58:07.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Education, Industry, Technology]Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced a federal investment of $541 million through the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative to recruit 64 academic research leaders to Canadian universities, with three-quarters coming from United States institutions. Of this funding, $504 million is allocated to the initial tranche of professors, while $37 million will support the recruitment of 63 additional emerging leaders over the next year under the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada and Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders programs. Participating professors will receive either $500,000 or $1 million annually over eight years to build research teams and laboratories at institutions including the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
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Provincial Government Invests $4 Million to Support Growth of Atlantic Spaceport Complex
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-08-27 13:30:22.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, National, Economy, Industry, Technology, Defence]The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is investing $4 million consisting of a $1 million term loan and a $3 million forgivable loan into NordSpace Corporation to support the development of the Atlantic Spaceport Complex in St. Lawrence. The broader $10 million project also includes a $1 million contribution from the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and a $5 million private investment from NordSpace Corporation. The provincial funding is tied to the creation of 100 new full-time permanent positions by 2033 to establish Canadian commercial space-launch capabilities.
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