Canada’s new Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation used a stop in Calgary this week to outline a more aggressive federal strategy aimed at keeping AI companies—and their intellectual property—anchored in Canada.
Speaking at Platform Calgary alongside newly appointed CEO Jennifer Lussier, Evan Solomon framed the country’s AI moment as both an opportunity and a risk, warning that Canada has historically “planted the seeds” of innovation only to see value captured elsewhere.
“We grow the plants, and they come and harvest,” he said. “We become a branch plant nation, not a headquarters nation.”
To counter that, Solomon pointed to a strategy built around three core levers: capital, compute, and customers.
On capital, the federal government is moving to close funding gaps that often push startups south. Measures include expanded venture incentives, a new $100 million commercialization fund tied to Mila and Inovia Capital, and reforms to the SR&ED tax credit program aimed at speeding up access and simplifying the process.
Compute is emerging as a second critical battleground. Solomon highlighted a $300 million Public Compute Fund—already heavily oversubscribed—that subsidizes access to infrastructure, with higher incentives for companies using Canadian-based compute. The approach is designed to both support startups and strengthen domestic AI infrastructure.
But perhaps the most notable shift is on the demand side.
“Most of you would rather have a contract than a grant,” Solomon told the room, signaling a push to position government as a meaningful customer of Canadian AI solutions. Recent agreements with companies like Cohere and Coveo, alongside broader procurement reforms, are intended to create early validation and revenue pathways for startups.
The minister also pointed to growing global competition for Canadian innovation, citing U.S. efforts to attract quantum companies with large-scale funding packages. In response, Canada has launched its own Quantum Champions program to retain key firms and their IP domestically.
For Calgary, the message was clear: the region is increasingly central to Canada’s AI ambitions.
With strong research roots in nearby Edmonton, growing infrastructure investment including large-scale data centre developments, and institutions like SAIT advancing applied and dual-use technologies, Alberta is positioned as a key node across the AI stack—from infrastructure to commercialization.
Still, challenges remain. Solomon noted that Canada’s AI adoption rate sits well below peers, pointing to trust and diffusion—not talent—as the primary bottlenecks.
Ultimately, he framed the moment as a call to action for both government and founders.
“The world is full of what I call ‘Team No,’” he said. “This is a room of Team Yes.”
For Ottawa, the goal now is to ensure that those builders have the tools—and the incentives—to stay and scale in Canada.
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