06/04/2026
Today, the Government of Canada released its renewed national AI strategy following a 30-day consultation with over 11,000 submissions. Evidence for Democracy welcomes the strategy's emphasis on public trust, transparency, and responsible AI governance, but caution is warranted.
Recognition is not the same as commitment. As our Interim Executive Director, Félix Proulx-Giraldeau, notes: "Canada needs a serious long-term investment plan for science, public infrastructure, and democratic resilience, not just a strategy built around commercialization, productivity, and private sector scale-up."
Democratic resilience requires more than guardrails. It demands robust support for research, journalism, education, and the civic infrastructure that helps Canadians navigate misinformation and the social impacts of AI.
Read our full press release here: https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/press-release-canadas-new-ai-strategy-highlights-public-trust-transparency-and-democratic-resilience-although-meaningful-commitment-gaps-remain/
05/26/2026
Our new Spotlight Series is now public!
Data, Doubt, and Distrust: The Public Impact of Alberta's COVID-19 Task Force Report is a volunteer-led case study authored by Hannah Shuster-Hyman, a PhD candidate in Physiology at the University of Toronto. It examines how Alberta's government-commissioned COVID-19 Task Force report sparked widespread condemnation from the medical and scientific community, and why that matters for public health right now.
The analysis identifies serious problems with the quality of evidence used in the report, a lack of transparency, and the use of polarizing rhetoric that has contributed to the erosion of trust in science and healthcare institutions. These are not abstract concerns. Alberta led North America in measles cases in 2025, and Canada has since lost its measles elimination status, a designation it held for over two decades.
Read the full report here: https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/research/spotlight-series-data-doubt-and-distrust-the-public-impact-of-albertas-covid-19-task-force-report/
05/22/2026
Evidence for Democracy has officially submitted our pre-budget recommendations to the Government of Canada.
Our submission makes the case for two things we believe are fundamental to Canada's future: a stronger science and research ecosystem, and better-protected democratic institutions.
On research, we're calling for increased granting council budgets, full coverage of research costs, restored intramural science funding, and a five-year National Science, Research, and Innovation Strategy. On democracy, we're urging the government to establish a non-partisan Canadian Democracy Fund and reintroduce a strengthened Online Harms Act to address AI-manipulated content and criminal disinformation.
Canada's researchers and democratic institutions deserve a government that follows through. We hope to see these recommendations reflected in the next federal budget.
Read the full submission here: https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/evidence-for-democracy-submits-pre-budget-submission-calling-for-stronger-investment-in-science-research-and-democratic-institutions/
05/26/2026
05/22/2026