AI Sovereignty in Canada: What Comes Next
This presentation explores the impact of AI on Canada's economy and workforce, examining why sovereignty matters in the AI era. We'll investigate the challenges, opportunities, and actions needed to secure Canada's digital future.
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by Brent Lane
The Quiet Collapse of White-Collar Work
36% of Canadian Jobs at Risk
Over 4 million middle-class, white-collar professionals are highly exposed to AI automation.
Flattening Workplaces
AI is eliminating layers of professional work in law, accounting, insurance, and public administration.
Permanent Shift
When these jobs disappear, they won't be replaced. The new infrastructure doesn't need them.
AI Exposure Across Sectors
What AI Really Is
Not Magic, But Infrastructure
AI is a system that ingests data, detects patterns, makes predictions, and takes actions. It's becoming embedded infrastructure like electricity or internet.
Large Language Models (LLMs)
Predictive text engines trained on trillions of words. They respond to queries but don't have goals.
Agentic AI
Systems that can set goals, break them into steps, use tools, adapt based on feedback, and act autonomously across systems.
Why Canada Is Especially Vulnerable
Service-Based Economy
78% of GDP comes from services
Rented Infrastructure
90%+ of workloads on foreign clouds
Knowledge-Based Workforce
11.4M workers in AI-vulnerable roles
Where the Value Goes
1
Work is Automated
Tasks still get completed, but with fewer people involved.
2
Output Increases
Productivity rises while labor costs fall.
3
Value Shifts Upstream
Profits flow to hyperscalers and model providers outside Canada.
4
Margins Consolidate
Value concentrates in corporations rather than wages.
The Value Capture Hierarchy
Data & Infrastructure Providers
Most defensible layer as market matures
Hyperscalers
Own compute but increasingly commoditized
Model Builders
Huge upside now but vulnerable to open-source
Canada's Missed Opportunities
Oil & Energy
Built production but not full-scale refining and downstream capacity.
Internet & Cloud
Early in broadband but didn't build sovereign cloud infrastructure.
Shopify
Built global platform but still runs on foreign cloud infrastructure.
AI - The Fourth Moment
Showing up as users, not builders. But there's still time.
What Sovereign AI Infrastructure Looks Like
AI-Optimized Compute
Physical infrastructure within Canadian borders, jurisdictionally protected.
Trusted Data Storage
Critical datasets hosted domestically with policy-controlled access.
Low-Latency Inference
Systems delivering AI workloads efficiently across Canada.
Application Ecosystems
Platforms enabling productivity aligned with local regulations.
Common Questions About Sovereignty
Isn't this just protectionism?
No—it's about building the layer global platforms won't prioritize: local performance, trusted data delivery, and public value capture.
Will this become a government boondoggle?
This is about public-private infrastructure. The public sector sets direction; private sector builds and operates.
Does Canada have the talent?
We already export world-class AI researchers. The problem isn't talent—it's giving that talent something worth building here.
The 2030 Vision: Economic Impact
10%
Global Demand Share
Up from 6.4% today
50%
Domestic Infrastructure Ownership
Up from <15% today
$135B
Annual Sovereign Revenue
Creating sustainable economic value
$23B+
Annual Public Return
Through royalties and tax revenue
Job Creation Where It Matters
With CAD $135B/year in domestic infrastructure and platforms, we could support 700,000-900,000 Canadian jobs across energy, data centers, AI services, software, and compliance.
The Cost of Inaction
Cascading Displacement
When professional workflows are automated, supporting roles vanish, operational roles consolidate, and displaced professionals cascade downward into other sectors.
Economic Contraction
As layers collapse, service consumption shrinks, government revenues decline, GDP contracts, and confidence falls.
Generational Loss
The opportunity cost isn't just lost jobs—it's lost innovation and Canada's ability to shape its economic destiny.
Action Plan: Government
Mandate Sovereign Cloud Zones
For sensitive data and AI training
Launch "Made in Canada AI Stack"
Grant challenge for public-private infrastructure
Create Provincial Royalty Structure
Treat AI like a natural resource
Pass "AI Residency" Rules
Keep citizen data onshore
Action Plan: Private Sector
Run a 90-Day Pilot on Canadian Cloud
Start small, prove ROI, and build confidence in local solutions.
Sponsor a Regional Data Node
Partner with local telco or property partner to build infrastructure.
Adopt "Sovereign-by-Default" Policy
Choose local options when they exist to support the ecosystem.
Action Plan: Telcos & Infrastructure
Form Sovereign Edge Co-Op
Deploy in 100 small towns
Offer Sovereign Compute Zones
As a product for developers
Provide Rebates
For AI-enabled towns
Create Developer Sandboxes
In real locations, not just virtual
Action Plan: Startups & Builders
Fork Your Stack to Sovereign
Offer Canada-hosted options for your applications and services.
- Create local deployment options
- Build with Canadian data residency in mind
- Partner with local infrastructure providers
Build Plugins for Sovereign Agents
Develop tools that work with Canadian infrastructure like BigGeo.
- Create interoperability layers
- Develop Canadian-specific features
- Support local data standards
The Fork in the Road: Canada's Choice
If We Build It ✅
- $50B+ in CapEx investment
- Long-term infrastructure control
- Model IP stays domestic
- 10,000s of AI & infra jobs
- New revenue streams
If We Don't ❌
- $250B+ leakage by 2030
- No tax collection
- Strategic AI dependency
- 4.14M jobs at risk
- Provincial deficits widen
A Vision for Canada's Digital Future
Sovereign Digital Nation
AI models trained at home, on Canadian infrastructure, with Canadian values.
Neutral Infrastructure Layer
Canada as the "AI Switzerland" of the 21st century—neutral, secure, sustainable.
Builders, Not Extractors
Exporting value instead of raw commodities, building platforms instead of just using them.
Let's Start Building
"We already have the blueprint. We already have the technology. We already have the people. The only thing we're missing is permission. And we don't need to wait for that."
The next generation of Canadians deserve more than a digital lease. They deserve a proud Canadian home. This isn't just about economics—it's about sovereignty, identity, and our future as a nation.
The 10 Part Linkedin Series
🇨🇦 Part 1: AI Is Quietly Collapsing Canada’s White-Collar Workforce
The hidden crisis already unfolding — and why no one’s talking about it.
🔗https://theviv.co/part1-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 2: What AI Really Is And Why It’s Reshaping Everything
Demystifying AI — what’s actually happening under the hood and why it matters.
🔗https://theviv.co/part2-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 3: Why Canada Is Especially at Risk
A deep dive into our economic structure and why AI will hit Canada harder than most.
🔗https://theviv.co/part3-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 4: Where the Jobs Actually Go
A granular look at job displacement, sector by sector and who fills the gap.
🔗https://theviv.co/part4-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 5: The Missed Moments (Canada Edition)
How we lost the oil, internet, and cloud revolutions and why AI can’t be our fourth.
🔗https://theviv.co/part5-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 6: What Sovereign AI Infrastructure Actually Looks Like
A blueprint for how Canada could build and own its AI foundations with real examples.
🔗https://theviv.co/part6-sovereign-ai-canada
The hidden crisis already unfolding — and why no one’s talking about it.
🔗https://theviv.co/part1-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 2: What AI Really Is And Why It’s Reshaping Everything
Demystifying AI — what’s actually happening under the hood and why it matters.
🔗https://theviv.co/part2-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 3: Why Canada Is Especially at Risk
A deep dive into our economic structure and why AI will hit Canada harder than most.
🔗https://theviv.co/part3-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 4: Where the Jobs Actually Go
A granular look at job displacement, sector by sector and who fills the gap.
🔗https://theviv.co/part4-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 5: The Missed Moments (Canada Edition)
How we lost the oil, internet, and cloud revolutions and why AI can’t be our fourth.
🔗https://theviv.co/part5-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 6: What Sovereign AI Infrastructure Actually Looks Like
A blueprint for how Canada could build and own its AI foundations with real examples.
🔗https://theviv.co/part6-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 7: What Success Actually Looks Like
A practical vision of a resilient, sovereign, AI-powered Canada.
🔗https://theviv.co/part7-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 8: Validating the Why
Evidence, data, and macro indicators that prove the urgency of this shift.
🔗https://theviv.co/part8-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 9: The Action Plan Sector by Sector
What governments, businesses, telcos, startups, and citizens can do right now.
🔗https://theviv.co/part9-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 10: The Vision — What We Could Build Together
A hopeful, future-focused conclusion — what’s possible if we act, and act now.
🔗https://theviv.co/part10-sovereign-ai-canada
A practical vision of a resilient, sovereign, AI-powered Canada.
🔗https://theviv.co/part7-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 8: Validating the Why
Evidence, data, and macro indicators that prove the urgency of this shift.
🔗https://theviv.co/part8-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 9: The Action Plan Sector by Sector
What governments, businesses, telcos, startups, and citizens can do right now.
🔗https://theviv.co/part9-sovereign-ai-canada
🇨🇦 Part 10: The Vision — What We Could Build Together
A hopeful, future-focused conclusion — what’s possible if we act, and act now.
🔗https://theviv.co/part10-sovereign-ai-canada