Canada’s industry minister says he thinks the country is “ahead of the curve” with its approach to artificial intelligence, beating even the European Union. “Canada is likely to be the first country in the world to have a digital charter where we’re going to have a chapter on responsible AI because we want AI to…

The governments of Quebec and Canada are announcing $300 million in funding for a factory that will make components for electric vehicle batteries in Bécancour, Que., located about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. The $600-million factory, a joint project between automaker General Motors and South Korean industrial materials maker POSCO Future M, was first…

Ottawa unveiled a new licensing policy intended to make it easier for small internet service providers and rural, remote and Indigenous communities to access 5G spectrum licences. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the framework will provide a broad range of users, including businesses and industries, with the opportunity to acquire spectrum licences in localized areas…

A House of Commons committee has unanimously supported a motion to confidentially review the contract for the government’s multi-billion subsidy promised to Volkswagen Canada to build a battery plant in Ontario. The review will also include an appearance by Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne at the closed meeting. Conservative MP Rick Perkins introduced the motion to the…

Most Canadians are unhappy with both the affordability and reliability of internet service options currently available across the country, with many complaining about the lack of high-speed connectivity in some areas, according to federal research. A report by the Privy Council Office (PCO) and obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter cited research commissioned by the federal government…

An Industry Department official has confirmed that the Liberal government paid subsidies to Volkswagen to build its first overseas electric vehicle (EV) battery cell plant in Ontario, but said the amount cannot yet be made public. Sheryl Groeneweg, the Department of Industry’s director general of advanced manufacturing, recently told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry…

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has approved Rogers Communications Inc.’s $26-billion buyout of Shaw Communications Inc. with a number of conditions. Champagne’s approval of the buyout on March 31 ends over two years of the Rogers-Shaw deal moving through various regulatory hurdles after it was initially announced over two years ago. Champagne told reporters in Ottawa…

A subsidiary company of Volkswagen will be building a new electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facility in southwestern Ontario, the European automaker announced on March 13. Volkswagen’s subsidiary company PowerCo will establish the facility in St. Thomas, Ont., which will be Volkswagen’s first overseas battery cell plant. In a March 13 release, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the deal…

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he is unhappy with Canadian universities working with a Chinese military institution on sensitive high-tech research and pledged to introduce new guidelines to bolster research security. “I am not happy and it’s unacceptable,” Champagne said at the House Standing Committee on Science and Research meeting on Feb. 2. “I’m looking to impose…

Canada is updating its Investment Canada Act (ICA) to toughen scrutiny on foreign investments to build up national security, a move that came after Ottawa’s recently-released Indo-Pacific Strategy labelled China as an “increasingly disruptive global power.” “The reality is geopolitics of the world today has vastly changed in the last few years. That’s why we must…