Canada’s newly created Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, said Ottawa will use federal procurement and defence spending to accelerate the growth of domestic artificial-intelligence companies and build sovereign computing capacity. In an interview, Solomon called the emergence of large Canadian AI firms an “urgent issue” and linked part of Canada’s commitment to meet NATO’s 2 per cent defence-spending target to funding for AI and quantum-computing ventures with commercial and military applications. The minister outlined a multi-pronged plan that hinges on a previously announced C$2 billion package aimed at expanding high-performance data-centre infrastructure. The first allocation under the programme—up to C$240 million for Toronto-based language-model developer Cohere Inc.—will be spent at a Canadian facility operated by U.S. provider CoreWeave. Solomon said additional capital will be sought from allies such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and he did not rule out investment from Saudi Arabia’s US$100 billion AI fund, arguing that “sovereignty does not mean solitude.” On regulation, Solomon signalled the government will not revive the shelved Artificial Intelligence and Data Act but will pursue a new legislative framework that balances innovation with privacy and intellectual-property concerns. He also pledged to protect Canadian creators in forthcoming copyright deliberations while avoiding rules that could hamper the sector’s competitiveness.