Officials welcome the government’s new AI for All strategy but say stronger oversight, accessibility safeguards, and accountability measures are needed before AI systems shape decisions on jobs, healthcare, housing, and public services.
Canada’s top human rights, accessibility, and pay equity commissioners have welcomed the federal government’s new AI for All strategy while warning that artificial intelligence must not deepen existing inequalities.
In a joint statement released on June 8, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Accessibility Commissioner, and the Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner said AI has the potential to improve access to healthcare, public services, scientific research, and economic opportunities. However, they cautioned that poorly designed systems can also reproduce existing discrimination and barriers.
The statement comes days after Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled AI for All, Canada’s new national artificial intelligence strategy, which aims to position Canada as a global AI leader while emphasizing public trust, economic growth, and digital sovereignty. The government says the strategy could generate 250,000 AI-related jobs, add $200 billion in economic growth, and increase AI adoption among Canadian businesses from roughly 12% today to 60% by 2034.
The strategy is built around three core priorities: trust, opportunity, and sovereignty. It includes investments in domestic computing infrastructure, AI skills training, commercialization support for Canadian companies, stronger privacy protections, and expanded oversight of advanced AI systems. Canada also plans to establish a C$500 million technology growth fund to help domestic AI firms scale while keeping talent and intellectual property inside the country.
Human rights officials said those ambitions must be matched by strong safeguards.
“Artificial intelligence must advance, not undermine, the enjoyment of human rights in Canada,” said Chief Commissioner Charlotte-Anne Malischewski, arguing that governments cannot wait until harms emerge before acting.
The commissioners called for mandatory human-rights impact assessments, stronger oversight, transparent data practices, and meaningful representation of Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, women, and racialized communities in AI development. They also highlighted concerns about the environmental impact of large-scale AI infrastructure and the potential consequences of workforce disruption.
Accessibility Commissioner Christopher Sutton described AI as potentially “one of the most transformative accessibility tools of our generation,” but stressed that accessibility must be built into systems from the start rather than added later.
The statement reflects a broader debate taking place globally as governments race to invest in artificial intelligence while simultaneously trying to regulate its risks. Canada was an early leader in AI research through institutions such as Mila, the Vector Institute, and Amii, but policymakers have increasingly focused on converting that research advantage into economic growth without sacrificing public trust.
Many governments are currently framing AI as an economic race. Canada’s approach is notable because it is trying to frame AI as a governance challenge as well.
The real test of “AI for All” will not be how many AI companies Canada creates or how much investment it attracts. It will be whether Canadians can trust that algorithms making decisions about employment, healthcare, housing, benefits, or education are transparent, accountable, and fair.
If Canada succeeds, it could become a model for balancing innovation with rights. If it fails, it risks automating the very inequalities it says it wants to solve.
