The Empire Club of Canada
Hybrid
Friday, September 25, 2026
In June 2026, the Government of Canada launched Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All. It is a plan to move Canada from invention to impact by building the trust Canadians need, expanding opportunity for workers, students and businesses, and strengthening Canada’s ability to control its own technological future.
On September 25th, please join the Empire Club of Canada for a keynote by The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation. entitled AI for All: Building Canada’s AI Future. This will be followed by a fireside chat moderated by Sean Speer, Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large of the Hub
Three months after the launch of AI for All, Minister Solomon will discuss how the government is translating the strategy into action: helping Canadian businesses adopt AI, equipping people with the skills and access they need, protecting Canadians and building public trust, and strengthening the talent, infrastructure and domestic capabilities Canada needs to compete.
As countries race to harness the potential of AI, Canada faces a fundamental choice: whether to be primarily a consumer of technologies built elsewhere, or a country that builds, adopts and shapes AI on its own terms.
This conversation will examine the progress underway, the choices ahead and what it will take to make AI for All real for Canadians.
The Honourable Evan Solomon
Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre
The Honourable Evan Solomon was appointed Canada’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation in 2025. He also serves as Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre.
Solomon is no stranger to turning moments of profound change into opportunities to build a better future for Canadians. Before entering public life, he forged a dynamic career as both entrepreneur and journalist. He co-founded Shift magazine, a pioneering publication on technology and culture that captured the spirit of a digital generation. From there, he built a reputation as one of Canada’s most recognized journalists.
For more than two decades, Solomon was a trusted voice in Canadian media. As the acclaimed host of CTV’s Power Play and Question Period, and CBC’s Power & Politics, he earned a reputation for incisive analysis and fearless interviews. His work as a columnist for Maclean’s and The Globe and Mail, as well as his role as publisher of GZERO Media and senior executive at Eurasia Group, made him a fixture not just on Canadian airwaves but among global leaders seeking clarity amid complexity.
A bestselling author, Solomon has penned works including Fueling the Future and Feeding the Future. His contributions to Canadian public life have been recognized with the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
At what he has called a “hinge moment” for the country, Solomon returned to public service to help Canada seize the opportunities of artificial intelligence, quantum, and digital technologies—determined to build a trusted, sovereign digital future that delivers better services for Canadians.
Solomon is a proud graduate of McGill University, where he studied English literature and religious studies. He lives in Toronto with his wife and is the devoted father of two children.
Sean Speer is the co-founder and editor at large of The Hub (www.thehub.ca), an online news and commentary site on Canadian policy and politics. He is also a senior fellow at Carleton University’s Riddell Graduate Program for Political Management, the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and the Public Policy Forum. Sean previously served as a senior advisor to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
