Canadians are sending Ottawa a mixed message about artificial intelligence: they're eager for economic growth, but equally worried about the technology's potential harms.
A detailed independent analysis of the federal government's recent AI consultation reveals a striking tension in public opinion. While Ottawa's initial summary glossed over the numbers, a deeper dig into the data shows Canadians are nearly split between enthusiasm and caution.
The Numbers Tell a Surprising Story
The federal government collected feedback from over 11,300 participants through a 30-day consultation last year, generating more than 64,600 responses. While the government's official summary highlighted broad themes, it didn't quantify how many Canadians actually supported each position.
An independent keyword analysis changed that picture. The findings show economic growth was mentioned in 35.6 percent of entries—but concerns about ethical harms appeared in nearly 34.6 percent, creating an almost perfect split.
"The numbers suggest a pronounced tension within the Canadian public about AI's economic potential and the risks the technology could bring," according to the analysis.
What Canadians Actually Said
The top four themes that emerged from the consultation, ranked by how often they appeared, were: economic growth, ethical harms, environmental harms, and productivity. This ranking reveals Canadians aren't simply choosing sides—they're wrestling with both opportunities and dangers simultaneously.
The consultation specifically invited input from founders, researchers, workers, creators, students, public servants, and community members. The vast majority of responses—83 percent—came from individuals rather than organizations.
How the Government Analyzed the Data
Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED) used an AI-powered analysis pipeline to sort through the mountain of responses, employing large language models overseen by human reviewers. The government says it achieved at least a 90 percent success rate in categorizing responses into specific themes.
However, the government's office did not provide details about which specific AI prompts were used or how the weighting was determined—a notable gap given the consultation was about AI policy itself.
The Transparency Question
While ISED published the full dataset online, the official summary presented findings as sweeping statements without hard numbers attached. For example, the report notes respondents "strongly emphasized the need for Canada to attract and retain top AI talent," but doesn't say how many actually held that view. Similarly, concerns about "premature deployment," "environmental harm," and "job displacement" appear in the report without quantification.
When asked about the methodology and how responses were weighted, a spokesperson for Digital Innovation Minister Evan Solomon's office pointed to the published summary and full data file but declined to elaborate on the government's internal classification process.
What This Means for Canada's AI Future
The consultation data underscores a critical challenge for policymakers: Canada wants AI innovation and economic benefits, but not at the expense of safety, ethics, and environmental responsibility. There's no overwhelming consensus—just a closely divided public trying to navigate a complex technology.
For Alberta and Calgary tech communities, this division matters. As Canada develops its national AI strategy, the government will need to balance commercial interests with public concerns about how the technology is deployed and regulated.
This analysis is based on independent research examining the federal government's AI consultation feedback dataset, first reported by BetaKit. The full government consultation results and methodology are available on the ISED website.