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Dear friends of the Dais,
From news coverage, to stockmarkets, and to university campuses like ours, the artificial intelligence (AI) frenzy is all around us. But as the speed of AI innovation and the urgency for adoption picks up, we face a critical choice: will we lead this AI transformation thoughtfully, or will it lead us?
For governments across Canada facing mounting budget pressures and rising public expectations, the promise of AI to enhance services and improve efficiency is compelling. Our new report, Adoption Ready? The AI Exposure of Jobs and Skills in Canada's Public Sector Workforce, reveals that Canada’s 1.1 million public sector workers are in jobs with greater exposure to AI's impacts than the broader workforce - with many jobs responsible for tasks in which AI can assist, but many more that AI can replace. We offer advice for public sector leaders on how to strategically adopt AI while planning for the coming workforce disruption.
Policymakers face difficult choices about how to rapidly but responsibly advance Canada’s AI agenda - and nobody more directly faces this challenge than Canada’s new AI Minister Evan Solomon. He joins us next month to kick off a new season of the TMU Democracy Forum.
In an increasingly threatening world, the race for AI supremacy among great powers poses significant risks to Canada’s economic and national security. My new Dais Commentary argues that America’s AI Action Plan is the latest wake-up call for Canada to get serious about digital sovereignty - and proposes a path forward.
To that end, we're focusing on how Canada’s nonprofit and social impact sectors can harness the transformative power of AI.
Here’s how you can join us:
📕 Read: our new report, Adoption Ready?, to understand the potential benefits, and risks, of AI adoption for Canada's public sector
✍️ Engage: with new commentary on why America’s AI Action Plan is a critical wake-up call for Canada’s digital sovereignty
🎓 Register: for our fall course, Responsible AI Use for Nonprofit Workers, and put AI to work for social good
🗓️ Gather: at an upcoming conversation with Canada's new AI Minister, Evan Solomon, to discuss the future of AI in Canada.
At the Dais, we believe that with a thoughtful strategy and a commitment to our values, we can harness this technological wave to build a more innovative and responsive government for all Canadians.
Yours,
André Côté
Interim Executive Director
The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University |
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Latest at the Dais |
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Adoption Ready? The AI Exposure of Jobs and Skills in Canada's Public Sector Workforce |
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BOLD IDEA: Canada’s public sector is uniquely positioned to lead in AI adoption, with greater exposure than the broader workforce. This creates a powerful opportunity to enhance public services and improve efficiency. With thoughtful strategy, responsible practices and strong workforce support, AI can enable a more innovative, efficient, and responsive government in a rapidly shifting digital world.
Economic uncertainty, budget pressures, and rising service expectations are pushing governments to explore AI for efficiency and innovation, while tools like ChatGPT raise urgent questions about their impact on the 1.1 million Canadians who work in the public sector.
Our new report, Adoption Ready, examines which public sector roles are most likely to benefit from AI, which common tasks face the highest risk of substitution, and how leaderscan ensure adoption strengthens service delivery rather than undermines it.
This report is part of the portfolio of work by the Future Skills Centre, which is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program. |
| MORE INSIGHTS, PLEASE |
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In Focus |
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TMU Democracy Forum: AI Minister Evan Solomon at TMU |
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After leading the way on Artificial Intelligence, Canada now risks falling back from the pack. By declaring AI a national priority, can the Canadian government scale up its adoption? How does Ottawa write an AI and digital strategy that strikes a balance between regulation, revitalization and commercialization at home before foreign competition overtakes us? Bring your questions for Canada’s first AI Minister, Evan Solomon, at the TMU Democracy Forum.
Co-hosted by Martin Regg Cohn, Toronto Star Political Columnist and Dais Senior Fellow, and Hossein Rahnama, Professor at the RTA School of Media and Co-founder of the DMZ. |
| SAVE ME A SEAT |
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America’s AI Action Plan is the latest wake-up call on digital sovereignty |
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The White House has unveiled an aggressive new AI Action Plan, aimed at securing “unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance.” But what does that mean for Canada’s economy, security, and digital sovereignty?
In our latest commentary, our Interim Executive Director André Côté unpacks the risks of Canada’s growing dependence on foreign tech giants, and the bold steps we must take to chart our own digital future.
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| WHAT’S AT STAKE? |
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Dais Learning |
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Responsible AI Use for Nonprofit Workers |
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This fall, join us for a three-week course, Responsible AI Use for Nonprofit Workers and gain the skills you need to use AI with integrity.
Through the program, learners will:
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explore key AI concepts, different AI types and their relevance in nonprofit operations
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delve into the critical dos and don’ts concerning AI privacy, laws, and ethics, learning to identify risks and practicing responsible AI use in real-world nonprofit scenarios
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gain practical insights into various AI applications, enabling workers to strategically enhance efficiency, program delivery, and overall impact by selecting and applying an AI tool directly to their work.
📅 Dates: September 17, 24, and October 1, 2025
🕓 Time: 12–2 p.m. EST.
📍 Location: Virtual on Zoom
💰 Cost: $150 + HST
If you’re experiencing financial barriers, or for group discounts, please email fahmida.kamali@torontomu.ca to discuss your enrollment options. |
| COUNT ME IN |
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Dais Talks |
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Canada’s Competition Moment – In conversation with Matthew Boswell |
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Canada’s competitive landscape is at a pivotal moment. Few understand the stakes for our economy and the future of a competitive Canada better than Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition at the Competition Bureau of Canada.
Join Canadian Club Toronto and the Dais on September 11 for a dynamic evening with Commissioner Boswell in conversation with Umang Khandelwal. Together, they will explore what’s changing, what’s at risk, and what lies ahead as major reforms to the Competition Act take shape and powerful new enforcement tools come into play. This timely discussion will offer insights into how competition policy shapes innovation, productivity, and growth — and what it all means for Canada’s economic future.
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| BUY TICKETS |
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Sponsor the 2025-26 TMU Democracy Forum |
The Dais is seeking sponsors for our 2025-26 TMU Democracy Forum series.
Shared citizenship binds us together. As a non-partisan think tank, the Dais believes that inclusive public dialogue supports a strengthened democracy. The Democracy Forum, like all our events, intentionally includes speakers from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and political stripes to share their voices - and promote discussion - on the issues that matter the most to Canadians.
Why sponsor the TMU Democracy Forum?
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Access broad media reach on the leading issues of the day
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Connect with political leaders, thinkers, and policymakers at our events and VIP reception opportunities
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Gain a special discount and access to the 2026 DemocracyXChange Summit
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Reserve seating ticket blocks and author-signed books at launch events
Get in touch
For more information and ways to partner, please contact Marium Hamid, Manager of Partnerships at the Dais, at marium.hamid@torontomu.ca.
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In the News |
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Technology |
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Canada AI by the numbers — how much money is being spent and who is spending it (Financial Post)
Cites our 2024 report Can Canada Compute? on Canada's AI advantage and need for computational resources.
Tech jobs were supposed to be the safe career route. What changed? (The Globe and Mail)
Quotes our Manager of Economic Research, Viet Vu, on the constricting tech labour market in Canada,
What is watermarking and why is it falling short of protecting us against A.I. deepfakes?
(CityTV News/ The Big Story)
Features an interview with our Senior Policy Analyst, Angus Lockhart, on the integrity of safeguards to label AI-produced content.
‘I almost got taken’: Could AI be fuelling more text scams? (CTV News)
Quotes our Senior Policy Analyst, Angus Lockhart, on the rising sophistication of SMS phishing scams.
How Canada can better attract tech talent as calls to build domestic industry grow (The Canadian Press)
Cites our 2023 research Mind the Gap, which found U.S. tech workers earned 46% more than their Canadian counterparts. |
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Economy |
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Canada Post, union to restart labour talks after Air Canada strike ends (Global News)
Interview with our Manager of Economic Research, Viet Vu, on the Canada Post labour dispute.
CNE receives record number of job applications amid high youth unemployment (The Canadian Press)
Quotes our Manager of Economic Research, Viet Vu, on the tough job market for students and recent graduates.
Why student unemployment is rising and what it could signal about a looming recession (CTV News)
Our Manager of Economic Research, Viet Vu, comments on the possibility of the high youth unemployment rate pointing to a coming recession.
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