Canadian experts urge Carney to defend digital sovereignty

Published 02/09/2025, 21:54
Canadian experts urge Carney to defend digital sovereignty

Investing.com -- Dozens of experts, academics, and organizations have called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to protect Canada’s digital sovereignty from potential interference by the Trump administration.

In an open letter released Tuesday, the signatories urged Carney to take immediate action to secure Canada’s digital economy, arguing that while he has focused on making Canada an energy superpower, he has not adequately addressed digital sovereignty concerns.

The letter, signed by over 300 organizations and individuals including former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and author Margaret Atwood, outlines 14 priority actions to strengthen Canada’s digital infrastructure and reduce dependence on U.S. tech giants.

Key recommendations include launching a public dialogue on AI and digital governance, passing improved privacy protection laws, conducting a risk assessment of Canada’s digital infrastructure, and reconsidering the recent decision to rescind the Digital Services Tax.

The signatories warn that Canada’s digital sovereignty is at high risk due to U.S. dominance of critical digital infrastructure layers, including cloud services primarily controlled by Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

"We will be hard pressed to build Canada strong, let alone to avoid becoming the 51st state, if we surrender more of our digital sovereignty to American tech giants," the letter states.

The group has requested urgent meetings with government officials to begin resetting Canada’s digital policies, emphasizing that digital infrastructure plays a key role in Canada’s economy, society, culture, and politics.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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