PAID ADVERTISEMENT JUNE 2025 | INNOVATINGCANADA.CA
@MediaplanetCA
Please recycle
A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET
CANADIAN INNOVATION
POWERING CANADA’S AI FUTURE:
Sovereign, Sustainable and Secure Canada has a chance to lead in secure, sustainable AI — but seizing it demands bold infrastructure and smart policy.
A Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology, and Innovation & Future of AI Council Lead, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Katie Preiss Vice President of Public Policy, TELUS
rtificial Intelligence (AI) is not just another technological wave. It is the most transformative force in economic history, redefining how we work, compete, and create value. For Canada, AI offers a clear path to closing our long-standing productivity gap. But scaling adoption requires sovereign safeguards for essential infrastructure and sensitive data. In this conversation, Katie Preiss, Vice President of Public Policy at TELUS, and Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior Director of Digital Economy, Technology, and Innovation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, explore sovereign AI, Canada’s edge in sustainable infrastructure, and how business adoption can boost productivity.
Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia: What does “sovereign AI” entail? Katie Preiss: Sovereign AI means maintaining jurisdictional control over AI systems, ensuring sensitive data doesn’t leave Canada or get accessed without proper credentials. Canada’s AI leadership depends on infrastructure — compute, storage, and models — that aligns with Canadian laws, values, and innovation goals. Sovereign AI isn’t needed in every case, but for sensitive use cases in sectors like healthcare, defence, finance, and education, Canada must be able to collect, store, and process data in trusted environments that meet domestic standards. This isn’t about isolation; it’s about deploying secure, transparent
AI under Canadian jurisdiction. Investing in aligned infrastructure ensures public funds deliver trusted services, inclusive innovation, and long-term growth.
Bahr-Gedalia: The need for sovereign AI is not unique to Canada. Preiss: Exactly. Trusted AI infrastructure is a strategic imperative for every country. What makes Canada distinct isn’t the desire for sovereignty, but our opportunity to lead by example. We can show the world what secure, sustainable, values-driven infrastructure looks like. TELUS isn’t just building AI, we’re building trust. And in today’s AI world, trust is infrastructure.
Bahr-Gedalia: Green compute and AI infrastructure have been the focus of many conversations. How exactly do we get there? Preiss: Canada has a real edge. Our low-carbon grid and cold climate position us to deliver clean AI infrastructure at scale. The TELUS Sovereign AI Factory is one of the world’s most sustainable AI deployments, powered by 99 per cent renewable energy and using over 75 per cent less water than traditional data centres. This environmental leadership is both good for the planet and a competitive advantage. As global demand for responsible AI infrastructure grows, Canada is positioned to lead with climate resilience, data integrity, and high-performance compute. But we must act boldly and quickly to maintain that edge.
Bahr-Gedalia: Given AI’s potential to help close the productivity gap, the slow rate of AI adoption by businesses remains an ongoing concern. What’s the solution? Preiss: AI is Canada’s moonshot for transformative productivity growth. OECD research shows AI-enabled firms grow faster, innovate more, and boost productivity. While the OECD places Canada among the G7 leaders in AI adoption, an encouraging sign, much of this uptake is shallow, with few deeply embedded, enterprise-scale deployments. We still lag in productivity and in capturing AI’s full value, but that gap is our opportunity! With bold, coordinated policy, we can turn early momentum into lasting economic strength. TELUS is investing to make that happen. Now we need a national strategy to ensure every sector benefits.
Bahr-Gedalia: What kind of policy actions do you recommend? Preiss: Smart, targeted policy is key. The federal government’s proposed 20 per cent tax credit for SMEs is a great start. But more is needed. We should expand incentives in strategic sectors, launch public-private pilots, and invest in workforce training to help businesses deploy AI. Telecom is being transformed by generative AI. TELUS is leading with Fuel iX, which recently earned the prestigious Mercure award for AI-powered productivity. Our role is unique: helping Canadian companies adopt AI securely, sustainability, and effectively.
Publisher: Bryan Bilas, Luca Bidini, Michaela Gallagher Strategic Account Director: Anna Sibiga Content Strategy Manager: Nicole Kansakar Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Production & Delivery Manager: Michael Taylor Creative Director: Kylie Armishaw Digital Designer: Miranda Robinson Digital Media Manager: Karm Rathod All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve The National Post or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.
To learn more about the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s initiatives on AI, please visit:
This article was supported by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.