On June 4, 2026, the federal government released its National AI Strategy, AI for All, informed by community consultations to the National AI Strategy Taskforce. In October 2025, the Federation convened experts from our community to participate in this consultation process, highlighting the vital role of humanities and social science leadership in developing responsible and trustworthy AI governance systems.
The Federation is encouraged by the government’s prioritization of Trust under Pillar 1 of the strategy, recognizing the broad implications and impacts the various applications of AI will have for individuals, communities, and sectors across Canada.
Furthermore, the Federation welcomes the recognition of the research community’s strengths and role in developing world-class talent. Commitments of notable relevance to the community include:
- Investing $50 million to expand the capabilities of the Canadian AI Safety Institute to track emerging AI risks, advance technical research, and conduct transparent evaluations of AI models.
- Strengthening the network of national AI institutes and increasing the Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program from 130 to nearly 200 researchers.
- Creating a National AI Literacy Initiative that will offer entry-level AI training accessible to all Canadians.
- Ensuring that all postsecondary students have access to trusted AI agents.
- Targeting 1 million postsecondary students with AI literacy training.
- Tracking and assessing the societal, labour market, and economic impacts of AI to guide policy and maximize benefits.
- Supporting and amplifying Indigenous-led AI initiatives.
- Promoting an AI equity-based national standard on accessible AI to drive inclusive and accessible AI and remove accessibility barriers from AI systems, ensuring Canadian AI reflects the Accessible Canada Act principles.
- Working on the adoption of tools that protect and promote the French language, ensuring that AI systems deployed in government perform equally well in both official languages.
- Launching new AI Missions Program to advance targeted, high-impact projects that deliver significant public good and demonstrate meaningful improvements in Canadians’ lives.
- Launching sector-specific Workforce Alliances across six priority sectors to bring together governments, employers, unions, postsecondary institutions, and Indigenous partners.
As Canada strives to position itself as a leader in artificial intelligence, the humanities and social sciences must play a critical role in guiding responsible, equitable, and trustworthy AI governance. Targeted investments and inclusive funding calls that focus on HSS expertise are necessary to ensure the full strength of the research community is leveraged. The Federation looks forward to continuing to engage with the federal government, SSHRC, and our community as these policies and initiatives continue to develop.
Read the National AI Strategy.
For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
Brody Rodgers
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences