Share your thoughts: Canada’s participation in treaty negotiations on artificial intelligence at the Council of Europe
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The Government of Canada is committed to leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help society while respecting and promoting Canada’s fundamental values. This is why we are seeking the Canadian publics’ views to inform our positions in treaty negotiations on AI, human rights, democracy and the rule of law at the Council of Europe (CoE).
Treaty negotiation
The purpose of the treaty is to address potential harms and risks associated with the design, development and use of AI. The treaty could set out rights, obligations and principles to ensure that the design, development and use of AI systems respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Canada is not a member of the CoE, but it participates in the organization as an observer state. Canada has been invited to participate in the negotiations, along with other observer states. Participating in the negotiations will allow Canada to help shape the treaty to reflect Canadian values and interests, while promoting Canadian objectives on AI in the context of potential risks to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Participating in the negotiations does not automatically mean that Canada will adopt the treaty.
Consultation
The Government of Canada’s negotiating team is looking to develop an inclusive negotiation strategy, that considers the views of the Canadian public and is informed by stakeholder outreach and public consultation.
The federal government has also engaged with provincial and territorial representatives, First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners, including National Indigenous Organizations and expert stakeholders to get their views on Canada’s approach to the regulation of AI in this treaty.
The government invites the Canadian public to share input on their perspectives, interests and concerns in order to better inform Canada’s negotiating positions. In particular, we welcome views on the potential impacts that the obligations, rights and principles in the draft treaty could have on the Canadian public.
This consultation starts on November 27, 2023, and ends on January 10, 2024.
How to participate
This consultation is open to people in Canada, including:
- businesses, including micro, small, medium-sized and large enterprises
- investors and industry leads
- financial institutions
- industry associations
- bargaining agents
- academic institutions, research labs and think tanks
- Indigenous groups
- gender-equality-deserving groups and other equity-deserving groups
- civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations
- national, provincial, territorial and regional associations
- students and youth organizations
Fill out the online questionnaire.
For reasons of confidentiality and security, the submissions and names of contributors to this consultation process will not be released to the public by the Government of Canada.
Privacy notice statement
For more information on how information will be collected and utilized, please read our privacy notice statement.
Contact
To request further information, or if you have any questions, please send an email to AI-treaty_traite-IA@international.gc.ca.
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