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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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EU chief continues to push making Canada an associate member despite objections
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-29 15:14:58.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Technology, Economy, Governance]European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen continued to champion making Canada an associate member of the European Union during a two-day summit in Montreal, despite objections from several member states within the 27-member bloc over the specific terminology. Prime Minister Mark Carney and EU officials advanced negotiations on a deeper strategic association focusing on policy alignment in artificial intelligence, climate, energy, and security, alongside the Prime Minister's announcement of a $1.6 billion federal investment in the Toronto-based generative AI company Cohere. The framework also encompasses efforts to deepen trade environments, Arctic collaboration, and negotiations for Canadian participation in the Erasmus student exchange program.
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Canada welcomes EU leaders to Montreal for talks on next steps in relationship
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-29 11:47:19.0
Tags: [National, Quebec, Trade, Economy, Technology, Energy]Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen and EU leaders in Montreal for bilateral talks aimed at forging closer strategic and economic ties. While full European Union membership is off the table, officials are negotiating an "alliance for the future" partnership focused on business, technology, clean energy, and critical minerals. The high-level summit has also sparked domestic political tension, with Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon pressing the federal government to secure a speaking role at the event.
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Canada needs concrete results from EU summit this week, former envoy says
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-25 17:58:19.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Defence, Technology, Governance]Ahead of the Canada-European Union summit in Montreal, former special envoy to the EU Stéphane Dion emphasized the necessity of achieving concrete results across trade, science, defence, security, and artificial intelligence, rather than issuing a routine status communiqué. Prime Minister Mark Carney and European leaders are negotiating a new alliance that includes potential participation in the European Erasmus+ mobility program and resolving the ratification status of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which currently remains unratified in nine EU member states including France, Italy, and Poland. Additionally, incoming Canadian Ambassador to the European Union Jonathan Wilkinson and bilateral officials are advancing negotiations on a digital trade agreement to govern e-commerce, electronic transmissions, and secure cross-border data flows.
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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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Open banking a risk, and opportunity for big banks
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-04 12:37:21.0
Tags: [National, Finance, Technology, Economy]The federal Department of Finance advanced the implementation of open banking (consumer-driven banking) by publishing proposed regulations and holding a 60-day comment period ending in August 2024 following the 2024 federal budget. The Department of Finance estimates the 10-year implementation cost at approximately $457.7 million, while projecting $13.2 billion in benefits to consumers and businesses. The framework aims to eliminate risky screen-scraping practices utilized by roughly nine million Canadians, with the Financial Data and Technology Association estimating consumer access could begin by late 2027.
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Canada, France pledge to work together on space infrastructure, economy
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-20 14:40:36.0
Tags: [National, Newfoundland and Labrador, Trade, Infrastructure, Technology, Defence, Economy]Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to pledge bilateral cooperation on shared space infrastructure, business growth, and economic development, directing their respective space agencies and defence ministries to develop common launch systems and ground reception facilities. The leaders also tasked the regional joint cooperation commission between Atlantic Canada and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to expand work in economic growth, energy transition, and climate resilience. Furthermore, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are finalizing an agreement to build shared value chains and deepen business ties amid broader Canadian efforts to forge a closer economic and political alliance with the European Union.
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Carney rallies Liberal MPs as 'crucial session' of Parliament set to resume
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-18 21:18:23.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Economy, Technology, Governance, Social Services]Prime Minister Mark Carney rallied the Liberal caucus ahead of the fall session of the House of Commons, announcing forthcoming legislation including the Building Canada Strong Act to streamline major project reviews to a "one project, one review, one year" standard. The federal government also plans to introduce social media and AI regulation legislation targeting online harms, cyberbullying, and child exploitation by tech companies. Additionally, an upcoming fall federal budget will outline fiscal plans to manage spending, optimize the balance sheet, and expand social programs such as child care.
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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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Read Mark Carney's full speech to the European Parliament
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-17 18:04:15.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Defence, Energy, Technology]Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, welcoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for Canada to become the European Union's first associate member under a new "alliance for the future." Carney proposed deepening bilateral cooperation across strategic sectors including critical minerals—leveraging Canada's deposits of over 34 critical minerals—alongside energy security via liquefied natural gas and hydrogen supply, defense industrial capacity, artificial intelligence computing, and financial services integration. The proposed alliance aims to enhance collective resilience and sovereignty against geopolitical coercion without establishing a closed great-power rival bloc.
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PM Carney: ‘Europe and Canada are even stronger together’
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-09-17 09:48:46.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Defence, Technology, Governance]European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen formally invited Prime Minister Mark Carney to open discussions for Canada to become the European Union's first "associate member" following a series of bilateral talks that accelerated in June 2025. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Prime Minister Carney emphasized that the partnership aims to bolster economic and security resilience in sectors like artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and defence rather than forming a rival geopolitical bloc. Concurrently, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the potential designation as a "hostile act" and signed a memorandum directing federal agencies to remove Canadian products from U.S. government procurement while threatening heavy tariffs on Europe.
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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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How Canada-EU ‘associate member’ proposal raises questions with few answers
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-09-16 20:25:22.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Defence, Technology, Governance]European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed that Canada become the European Union's first "associate member," moving beyond the existing Canada-European Trade Agreement (CETA) to establish an "Alliance for the Future." Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to respond to the proposal, which aims to deepen cooperation in areas including intelligent manufacturing, tech alliances, defense industrial bases, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals, AI, and cyber security. The proposal has raised domestic political questions and concerns from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre regarding potential impacts on Canadian sovereignty, tax contributions, EU regulations, and immigration policies. Meanwhile, Canadian Ambassador to the EU Jonathan Wilkinson emphasized that Canada is not seeking full EU membership due to sovereignty implications, and recent Abacus Data polling indicates that 80 percent of Canadians support closer economic, defence, and political ties with Europe.
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EU wants Canada as its first ‘associate member,’ von der Leyen says
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-09-16 12:34:20.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Technology, Defence, Governance]European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during her State of the Union address that the European Union seeks to make Canada its first associate member through an 'Alliance for the Future,' moving beyond the existing Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The proposed partnership aims to deepen integration across intelligent manufacturing, tech alliances, defense industrial bases, Arctic projects, energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, cyber security, and economic security. Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the address in France as the two sides discuss forging a unique alliance amid escalating United States trade actions and tariffs. While European Union member states have increased trade by 75 per cent in less than a decade under CETA—though 10 member states have yet to fully ratify the agreement—German government officials noted that the specific terminology of an 'associate member' requires further consideration.
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Bell plans expansion of Sask. AI data centre, making it largest private investment in province's history
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-14 22:16:45.0
Tags: [Saskatchewan, National, Technology, Infrastructure, Energy, Economy]At an investment summit in Toronto hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic announced plans to quadruple the size of its artificial intelligence data centre near Regina, Saskatchewan, increasing its total investment in the Bell AI Fabric to $52 billion. The facility will expand from its original 300-megawatt capacity to 1.2 gigawatts of power, making it the largest private capital investment in the history of the province. The project, which requires Bell Canada to supply its own power, is projected to create up to 500 permanent jobs—including roughly 100 management roles—and an additional 3,000 positions in areas such as security and maintenance. The expansion follows the RM of Sherwood council's prior approval of the data centre in April 2026, though provincial officials did not immediately confirm whether the expanded footprint requires additional municipal review.
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What we know about the proposed partnership between Canada and the EU
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-14 20:24:05.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Technology, Defence, Governance]Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a new strategic partnership during speeches in Strasbourg, France, exploring the possibility of Canada becoming the European Union's first associate member. The proposed alliance aims to enhance cooperation in critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, artificial intelligence, energy security, and financial services, while including Canadian participation in education and research programs like Erasmus+ and Horizon. Concrete details and the structural framework of the partnership are expected to be discussed at the upcoming Canada-EU summit scheduled for October 29-30, 2026, in Montreal, with any final agreement subject to debate and ratification by the Parliament of Canada and EU member states.
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Time for a digital divorce? Trade war puts spotlight on Canada's relationship with U.S. big tech
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-12 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Technology, Trade, Economy, Governance]Stalled trade talks between Canada and the United States regarding digital streaming rules and digital trade alignment have renewed federal focus on digital sovereignty and data security. The federal government renewed its IT service agreement with Microsoft through Shared Services Canada in a deal worth $940 million over seven years, with a study showing Microsoft supplies 42 of 409 systems in the federal AI Register. In response to potential foreign access risks, AI Minister Evan Solomon announced five principles for data centre construction to mandate compliance with Canadian cybersecurity laws and long-term digital resilience, while the federal National AI Strategy pledges development of a homegrown supercomputer and sovereign cloud initiatives.
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From pipelines, to railways and AI: Ottawa pitches 167 projects ahead of Carney's investment summit
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-10 21:20:00.0
Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Infrastructure, Energy, Transportation, Economy, Technology]The federal government has released a 66-page prospectus outlining 167 investment projects across eight sectors ahead of the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, co-hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney alongside the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Public Sector Pension Investment Board to attract $1 trillion in international capital. Notable infrastructure and energy proposals featured in the document include a $57 billion US expansion of the Port of Churchill, a $44 billion Nova Scotia Wind West offshore wind project, a $35 billion West Coast Oil Pipeline connecting Alberta crude to British Columbia, a $28.5 billion Ksi Lisims LNG terminal project on the B.C. coast, a $10.9 billion Calgary-to-Edmonton high-speed passenger rail line, a $2.1 billion US South Bow Prairie Connector pipeline expansion, and a $14.5 billion data centre near Medicine Hat, Alberta. The pitch aims to diversify Canada's trade and energy export markets amid escalating U.S.-Canada trade tensions while highlighting assets ranging from fully permitted, shovel-ready initiatives to preliminary-stage critical mineral developments.
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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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