Canadian Internet Governance Forum 2023: The Future We Want

Table of Contents

• • About the Canadian Internet Governance Forum
  • Executive summary
  • Discussion insights and priorities
    • Canadian communications policy
    • Data governance
    • Artificial intelligence, ethics and regulation
    • Canada on the world stage
    • The future of internet policy and governance
  • Conclusion: moving towards the Future We Want
  • Sessions and speakers
  • Sponsors

About the Canadian Internet Governance Forum

The Canadian Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) is Canada’s premier multi-stakeholder forum for digital policy dialogue, dedicated to fostering open conversations about the most pressing public policy issues facing the internet. The CIGF is a recognized national initiative of the United Nations-convened global Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Since 2019, CIGF has convened hundreds of stakeholders—both virtually and in-person—from government, civil society, academia, the private sector and the technical community to tackle a wide range of issues and identify solutions grounded in common Canadian values.     Each year, the CIGF reports on the national priorities identified by the Canadian internet community. The findings are submitted to the IGF Secretariat and shared at National and Regional Initiative (NRI) sessions hosted at the global IGF, as well as among domestic decision-makers.   CIGF is driven by a multi-stakeholder All-hands committee. 2023 members include:  

• • • Chair: Georgia Evans, CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority/Secretariat Support  
    • Hosein Badran, Internet Society   
    • Dr. Catherine Boivie  
    • Nancy Carter, CANARIE Inc.   
    • Joe Catapano, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) 
    • Dana Cramer, Toronto Metropolitan University   
    • Aaron Deane, CIRA/Secretariat Support    
    • David Fewer, Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic 
    • Jacob Glick, TELUS  
    • Matt Hatfield, OpenMedia  
    • Michel Lambert, eQualitie  
    • Kyle Loree  
    • Giose McGinty, ICANN  
    • Jason Meritt, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) 
    • Marita Moll, Telecommunities Canada  
    • Alyssa Quinn  
    • Philippe-Andre Rodriguez, Global Affairs Canada   
    • Shehnila Sayeed, CIRA/Secretariat Support  
    • Josh Tabish, CIRA/Secretariat Support  
    • Rida Tahir, ISED   

The CIGF is inclusive and non-commercial in organizational structure and process development. CIGF 2023: The Future We Want was a free event, open to all, and took place in a hybrid format; the in-person component took place at the Computer Research Institute of Montreal in Quebec. 

Executive summary 

On October 4, 2023, the CIGF brought together a wide range of stakeholders at the Computer Research Institute of Montreal to discuss critical issues in internet governance that coalesced around this year’s main theme, The Future We Want. The conference facilitated an exchange of ideas among stakeholders from all sectors on topics that included the rise of generative AI and how to regulate it, the importance of digital infrastructure resilience, the future of internet and data governance and Canada’s digital policy priorities at home and on the world stage.  The 2023 CIGF took place against a backdrop of significant changes in internet governance in Canada. In 2023, the Government of Canada issued both a new telecommunications policy direction to the CRTC to improve competition and lower prices for consumers and a draft broadcasting policy direction. The government also passed legislation about online streaming and online news, while Canadians anticipated pending “online harms” legislation. These changes were top of mind for presenters and participants as their implications for the Canadian internet ecosystem were discussed and debated.    The meteoric rise of generative AI—and the extent to which the public has embraced using it—was also a central subject among conference participants as they grappled with the ethical and regulatory dimensions of this new technology. In the same vein, participants discussed how governments, particularly authoritarian ones, are already leveraging generative AI and considered the ways they may exploit it further.  Several recurring themes central to the future of internet governance cut across most conference sessions. These include the critical role of the internet for Canadians in their everyday lives, the implications of generative AI, the evolving multipolar geopolitical landscape, the misuse of the internet by governments, and the competing visions of private sector-led versus government-led solutions to digital policy issues. Participants also noted several important upcoming events consequential to the future of internet governance—and the consultations leading up to them—namely, the Global Digital Compact, which governments will agree on at the 2024 Summit of the Future, and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) +20 Review in 2025.   This report provides a statement of priorities for Canadian businesses, governments, civil society groups, the technical community and end-users involved in internet governance and digital policy. It focuses on drawing out the common threads between the insights and recommendations put forward in different sessions, underpinned by shared Canadian values.   There is unanimous agreement among conference participants that the Future We Want is inclusive, democratic and aligns with the global public interest while maintaining the fundamental principles of security, stability, resilience and interoperability of the internet. Participants also agreed that working together as a community is the only way to ensure that the internet is a powerful tool for good.  CIGF 2023 was livestreamed and proceedings in English can be found on the CIGF YouTube channel.  

“The Future We Want is inclusive, democratic and aligns with the global public interest while maintaining the fundamental principles of security, resilience and interoperability of the internet”

Discussion insights and priorities

Canadian communications policy

The central role that the internet continues to play in the lives of Canadians was integrated into virtually every conference discussion. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet has become an indispensable resource for Canadians, one that continues to have a significant and largely positive impact on their lives, driving their interactions socially, culturally, politically and economically.  Broadcasting, telecommunications and internet technologies are facilitators of how Canadians communicate with one another. Panellists noted how Canadians rely on internet connectivity to access information, connect with friends and family and engage in the global digital economy. The internet makes it possible for Canadians to access entertainment across various digital media, and shape culture through the creation and sharing of digital content. It was often stated how, at a macro level, it continues to be a vital tool for Canada to create a knowledge-based economy, drive innovation and compete on the world stage.    Access to fast, reliable and affordable connectivity, especially for those living outside Canada’s urban centres, remains a key concern for Canadian policymakers. Canadians deserve to have a broadband internet connection at home that meets the minimum 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 10 Mbps upload speed objectives set by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Participants emphasized that without good internet services, Canadians can’t exercise their citizenship or participate fully in the economy. They can’t take advantage of government services, pay their taxes, further their education, or work in a wide variety of different sectors, the majority of which require their employees to have some level of online presence.  Communications policies can fundamentally alter how connections between people are maintained, including those made possible by the internet. Conference participants heard that the Canadian communications policy landscape remains extremely dynamic, as it continues to adapt to the realities of the 2020s. As governments pursue new legislation and regulation governing communications technology and private sector organizations make changes to their services and delivery, conference participants identified the guiding principles and questions that must remain at the fore. 

Key takeaways

• • Communications policies must address how Canada can build sustainable economic models for a diverse set of industry players and infrastructure systems that reflect the criticality of the internet to Canadian citizens, the economy and democracy. 
  • Domestic communications policy priorities ought to align with Canada’s digital policy and internet governance priorities on the global stage.  
  • Canadian communications policies should embrace a digital-first strategy to improve innovation and sustain all forms of cultural content creation and support the promotion of Canadian content on the world stage. 
  • Policymakers must strike the right balance between diversity in sources of information, public interest journalism and economic sustainability. 
  • Canadian communications policies must enable the preservation of the characteristics that make legacy media valuable and encourage new business models in the digital age.   

Data governance

Data governance—the process of managing data quality and use throughout its entire lifecycle— was another frequent subject of discussion during the conference, underpinning many of the debates about content moderation, AI regulation and more. Trust in data governance, and the internet itself, is incredibly low, despite the exponential increase in laws designed to enhance data privacy and data protection across many jurisdictions since the EU implemented the General Data Protection Regulation in 2016. In Canada, the Government of Quebec implemented Law 25, Quebec’s consumer privacy law, and the federal government has been working on its second attempt at consumer privacy protection reform with Bill C-27.    During the conversation, conference participants heard that the online advertising industry has been preparing for the implementation of new rules from C-27 and other privacy reforms; however, the burden of compliance is high, especially given the lack of harmony in this area within Canada and across international jurisdictions. Panellists argued that to gain the trust of citizens, transparency, clear communication and appropriate controls for individuals must form the core of any privacy legislation. For example, individuals must give permission for their data to be used and must be given clear guidance about how it will be used. 

Key takeaways

• • Privacy and data protection law should focus on the rights of citizens, rather than treating Canadians as consumers. 
  • Federal data protection requirements must move quickly to eliminate market uncertainty and improve regulatory harmonization across Canadian provinces and territories.  
  • Managing risk must be among the top priorities of any data governance framework. 
  • Improve public engagement and consultation on matters of personal data and data governance. 
  • Find an improved balance in policymaking processes to ensure robust, meaningful consultation of all impacted stakeholders while accounting for the rapid pace of technological change. 
  • Multistakeholder and industry collaboration is essential to boost harmonization of data governance frameworks internationally and facilitate compliance  

Artificial intelligence, ethics and regulation

While artificial intelligence technology has been around for decades, 2023 will be remembered as the year that generative AI took the world by storm. Since the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI in late 2022, large technology corporations have made significant investments in their own generative AI platforms, and the power of these platforms to rapidly generate content, such as text, images, music, audio and video, has captured the collective consciousness of people across the globe. An undercurrent of every discussion at CIGF 2023 was how citizens, businesses and governments are grappling with a growing list of questions about generative AI and its impacts on a whole range of issues related to privacy, security, copyright, creativity, the future of work and much more.   As CIGF panellists noted, the rise of generative AI chatbots has re-ignited the debate around several persistent myths about AI. These include the mistaken perception that AI tools do not require any assistance from human beings or that AI will eventually replace human beings in the workforce. AI will always need human input, and while it remains unknown what the precise impact of AI will be on the future of work, the technology will not replace humans in the workforce. Instead, it will significantly augment their capabilities in ways that will change the nature of many jobs.  With so much attention focused on what the future of AI might look like, the significant harm that generative AI is already causing is often overlooked. For example, it’s not uncommon for AI chatbots to generate “hallucinations,” in other words, AI chatbots respond to prompts with content that purports to be correct but is false and enables misinformation. As with all misinformation, hallucination-created misinformation can be rapidly propagated via social media and other digital channels.   To help dispel these myths and raise awareness about the current limitations of AI as it continues to evolve, increasing AI literacy for all ages is critically important. As we’ve seen numerous times in the past decade, a dearth of AI literacy will harm democratic legitimacy as new legislation is passed and public discourse becomes distorted through misinformation. Fortunately, the tech community can begin actively fostering AI literacy today.     The regulation of AI is already well underway by policymakers around the world, with two distinct regulatory approaches emerging. Horizontal approaches focus on AI’s inputs, processes and outputs regardless of use case and are intended to address the technology’s full spectrum of impacts and risks. Horizontal approaches are being pursued in the European Union, Canada and China. Vertical approaches to AI regulation occur on a sector-by-sector basis, targeting the application of AI technology in different industries and accounting for different use cases.  Canada’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, housed in Bill C-27, is a horizontal, impact-based approach. Implementing and managing AI regulations will be a massive undertaking; governments must begin preparing for the increased resources needed for these efforts now.  

key takeaways

• • AI literacy must be made a priority and taught to all ages nationwide. A dearth of AI literacy will harm democratic legitimation processes as new legislation is developed, debated and passed.  
  • Human and institutional capacity gaps must be addressed for countries and organizations to regulate AI effectively and respond to both the challenges and opportunities of AI for sustainable development. 
  • Privacy and data protection must be strengthened significantly, with high degrees of transparency, accountability and accessible opportunities for recourse for all people whose data may be treated as inputs or who use AI to create various outputs. 
  • Regardless of whether horizontal or vertical regulatory approaches are chosen, policymakers must meet certain essential requirements, namely ensuring robust consultation with users of AI, industry and civil society, and embedding the key dimensions of ethical AI in any framework: responsibility, accountability, education and transparency.  

Canada on the world stage

The evolving, increasingly multipolar, geopolitical landscape and its impact on the future of internet governance crosscut all discussions during the conference. Conference participants engaged with experts in a breakout discussion on what Canada’s digital policy priorities should be on the world stage, especially as it prepares to host the G7 in 2025. Over the last several years, citizens, businesses and governments have been confronted with an array of complex and converging crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the escalating climate crisis, all of which continue to have a significant global impact. The rise of digital authoritarianism—how hostile foreign nations leverage the internet to harm fundamental human rights and democracy through digital repression, surveillance, censorship and disinformation campaigns—was an undercurrent through conversations about global internet policy.   Keynotes and panellists noted that, through its participation in the G7 and other international organizations, Canada has an important leadership role to play in helping to shape global thinking on digital policy, an area where we have an especially strong pedigree. Canada has long been a world leader in internet governance and was one of the first members of ICANN’s governmental advisory committee. The country is also home to one of the first country-code top-level domains, .CA. Canadian efforts in the digital policy domain are supported by our strong civil society, vibrant industries and cutting-edge research community, and we boast a strong record of supporting and promoting human rights, liberal democratic principles and encouraging international cooperation in many areas.   Canada’s upcoming G7 presidency comes at an important time when the transformative power of generative AI is top of mind for world leaders. As the use of generative AI continues to skyrocket, and existential questions about its use and future impact dominate public discourse, governments have felt compelled to act quickly to develop new tools of diplomacy to fill the AI policy vacuum. These include International Guiding Principles for Advanced AI Systems, an International Code of Conduct for Advanced AI Systems, as well as individual domestic industry codes, such as Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems, that countries are developing to bring to international summits.   Panellists noted that G7 leaders are rightly concerned about the misuse of AI technology and how it may contribute to the erosion of democratic freedoms. In its 2023 Freedom on the Net report, Freedom House finds that online freedoms are decreasing globally for the thirteenth year in a row and notes that generative AI is already being used by authoritarian governments to enhance online censorship efforts, “supercharge” online disinformation campaigns and stifle freedom of expression. It was asserted by all that Canada has an opportunity through upcoming global leadership roles to push an ambitious digital policy agenda that centres on human rights and liberal democratic principles.

key takeaways

• • At the G7, Canada should push to move beyond an economic lens in global digital policy and adopt a holistic approach that includes the prioritization of human rights and countering digital authoritarianism.  
  • The Government of Canada should widen the scope of meaningful engagement across multiple domestic and international stakeholder groups to support its international actions. 
  • The government can also increase its support for standards development and the implementation of international codes of conduct.  
  • Canada must build on its strong record of international coordination and human rights advancement to strengthen the protection and promotion of liberal democratic principles in the digital age with like-minded international partners, leveraging its convening and coordination to combat digital authoritarianism. 
  • The Government of Canada should continue its promotion of a free, open and global internet through key fora like the G7, United Nations and Freedom Online Coalition, while ensuring its domestic digital policy agenda aligns with and supports these goals.  

The future of internet policy and governance

In 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)’s Tunis Agenda recognized the importance of multistakeholderism in internet governance and the respective roles played by governments, the private sector, civil society and intergovernmental and international organizations. Since then, the world has undergone a significant evolution in its political, social and economic dynamics, and the internet has created significant negative externalities that need to be accounted for in current and future policy decisions.   The numerous problems associated with internet privacy, security, digital equity and rights were a recurring theme of the conference, with several discussions reflecting on whether the path forward should centre on private sector-led or government-led solutions. Neither option is clear-cut. For example, issues of end-user surveillance are found with both private sector and government actors. Competing visions for solutions to mutually agreed-upon problems often come down to the levels of trust individuals are comfortable placing in corporations or governments to act in the best interests of end-users.    Discussants noted how one ongoing challenge is that the technical means through which democratic governments seek to protect the human rights of their citizens are also routinely used by authoritarian governments to exert control through surveillance and censorship, such as network-level blocking for content. Fragmentation—the severing of a global network into various walled gardens, controlled top-down—at the various layers of the internet poses different and serious dangers for access to information, freedom of speech and other human rights, democratic principles, and the global interoperability that produces the positive benefits of a secure, stable and reliable internet.    Since there is no single government with the power to set the agenda for the global internet, three competing models of internet governance have emerged from different power blocs, with each competing to be the dominant model globally. The three competing models are the multistakeholder model that originates in the US; the cyber-sovereignty model led by China and Russia; and the citizen-centred, human rights-focused model championed by the EU. Participants discussed that while the multistakeholder model is dominant and the EU continues to try to carve its own path, Canada increasingly finds itself caught somewhere between the two. One key question is which international entity or forum should be home to collaborative decision-making about the internet. Panellists discussed how over the coming years, there will be key dialogues that could fundamentally shift the global internet governance landscape, opening the door for authoritarian governments to exert influence over critical internet resources.  Looking ahead to the WSIS +20 review scheduled for 2025, conference participants recognized the summit as a consequential inflection point for internet governance and the internet as a technology for the next several decades. The future of internet governance will inevitably be informed by the proposed Global Digital Compact, which outlines shared principles for an open, free and secure digital future for all. During conference sessions, participants discussed what the future of global internet governance will look like in 2025 and beyond, with a particular focus on what Canada’s specific priorities should be and how Canadian stakeholders can maximize the effectiveness of their engagement in the process. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• • Internet fragmentation poses threats to the network effects of the internet in the global economy and the promotion of unique cultures as well as the security, stability, resilience and interoperability of networks, and most importantly to users’ freedom of speech across the globe. 
  • Where possible, non-governmental stakeholders should participate in consultations on the future of internet governance and encourage government engagement in key dialogues. 
  • The Government of Canada must leverage its robust internet community to champion a free, open, global and interoperable internet.  
  • The Government of Canada has an opportunity to build on its historical leadership in global internet governance and convene a coalition of like-minded countries to preserve the core tenets of what makes the internet a force for good in the world through the maintenance of multistakeholder governance.  

Conclusion: moving towards the Future We Want

There is unanimous agreement that the future we want is one that’s inclusive, democratic and aligns with global public interest, while maintaining the fundamental principles of security, stability, resilience and interoperability of the internet. Participants also agreed that working together as a community is the only option for ensuring that the internet remains a powerful tool for good.  Whether in domestic digital policy development and implementation or in global internet governance and critical internet resource management, all decisions made about the internet must be made with the technical community, the private sector, civil society and academia.   Key decision points about the future of internet governance are rapidly approaching amidst a backdrop of significant geopolitical tension and conflicts, major shifts in trade, a decline in global democracy and increasing demand for multilateral control over the internet.   Multilateral control over the internet opens the door for state influence over the management of critical internet resources, which could lead to repressive uses of the internet and its fragmentation. From a technical perspective, increased multilateral control also harms the interoperability and resilience of networks. For internet users, this can create negative implications for connection, creation, participation in the economy, security online, safety offline and more.     At the Summit of the Future’s finalization of the Global Digital Compact in 2024, and at dialogues for WSIS +20, the Government of Canada must prioritize maintaining support for multistakeholderism and open possibilities for its improvement, including increased participation from civil society. The Canadian multistakeholder community and the Government of Canada must engage with one another to meaningfully inform the approach to WSIS +20 and ensure the full strength and experiences of the Canadian multistakeholder community are behind the government’s efforts. For Canadian stakeholders, it’s incumbent upon those in different communities to get involved in these processes early and support the government in its engagement.   Canada can and should be a leader in shaping the future we want—one that is inclusive, democratic and reflective of the global public interest and underpinned by an open internet that is secure, stable, resilient and interoperable. 

Sessions and speakers

9:00 A.M.: Welcome to Canadian IGF 2023 by Canadian IGF Secretariat, Georgia Evans    9:05 – 9:35 A.M.: Keynote 1: ICANN Board Chair, Tripti Sinha     9:40 – 10:50 A.M.: Breakout Session 1: Canadian communications policy and internet governance   Earlier this year, the Government of Canada issued a new telecommunications policy direction to the CRTC, with a focus on improving competition, supporting consumers and lowering prices. The Government also issued a draft broadcasting policy direction to the CRTC, in pursuit of a “sustainable and equitable broadcasting framework.” These cabinet directives arrive on top of controversial legislation imposing new requirements on internet companies and streaming services, and ahead of anticipated ‘online harms’ legislation. Our panel of leading policy analysts and regulatory advocates examines what the evolving communications policy landscape means for Canadian internet users and for Canadian leadership on internet governance.   Speakers:  

• • Monica Song, Partner, Dentons, Moderator  
  • Monique Simard  
  • Keldon Bester, Executive Director, Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project   

9:40 – 10:50 A.M.: Breakout Session 2: The 2025 Canadian presidency of the G7: What should the digital policy priorities be?    Canada will have a prime opportunity to help shape global thinking on digital policy when it hosts the G7 in 2025. In a context of rising geopolitical tensions and converging crises, G7 coordination and leadership on global issues is critical, from climate change and economic resilience to the response to Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine. When Canada hosted the G7 in 2018, we laid the groundwork for the creation of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, an important multistakeholder initiative bridging the gap between theory and practice on responsible AI. Canada is well positioned to advance global digital policy, as a global champion of digital inclusion, notably chairing the Freedom Online Coalition in 2022 and launching the Ottawa Agenda for Freedom Online, and through its work on responsible use of AI. As the Government of Canada starts planning for 2025, this session represents an opportunity to exchange with policymakers and other experts and make your voice heard on what Canada should prioritize on digital policy during its G7 presidency.   Speakers:  

• • Cindy Temorshuizen, Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for the G7, Global Affairs Canada, Introduction  
  • Paul Samson, President, CIGI, Moderator  
  • Brenda McPhail, Executive Director, MPP in Digital Policy, McMaster University  
  • Philip Dawson, Head of Policy, Armilla AI  
  • Kyle Matthews, Executive Director, Montreal Institute for Genocide Studies  

11:05 – 11:35 A.M.: Keynote 2: CIRA Chief Technology and Security Officer, Jacques Latour   In 2022, the Rogers’ outage that highlighted the massive dependency on internet-enabled technologies in Canada, and the devastating Hurricane Fiona inspired a new Telecommunications Reliability Agenda from the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. As well, the Canadian Forum for Digital Infrastructure Resilience (CFDIR), a public-private forum created recommendations to Minister Champagne about how to improve cyber resilience in Canada and guidelines for evaluating internet resilience for end users, businesses and internet service providers. CIRA Chief Technology and Security Officer and Co-Chair of both CFDIR report processes, Jacques Latour, will discuss internet resilience in Canada—from where we are to where we need to go, to make sure that Canadians stay online when they need the internet most.     11:35 – 12:35 P.M.: Panel 1: The pros and cons of regulating AI   Interest in the usage of tools and systems utilizing Artificial Intelligence is increasing at a very rapid pace. Globally, governments are racing to develop regulations that provide guidance for the safe and responsible development and use of AI—particularly Generative AI—tools and systems. The publication of the EU AI Act has accelerated governments around the world to respond with their own approaches to AI governance. The response illustrates the range of choices to be made, with many governments’ strategies acknowledging the complexity of regulating a fast-moving general-purpose technology in their approach. The US and UK are pursuing vertical regulation, while Canada and China are pursuing horizontal approaches. This expert panel will explore and debate the pros and cons of the different approaches for AI governance and regulation.   Speakers:  

• • Meaghan Wester, Milieux Institute, Moderator  
  • Fenwick McKelvey, Co-Director Applied AI Institute, Concordia University   
  • Marc-Etienne Ouimette, Global Lead, AI Policy, AWS  
  • Beth Coleman, Associate Professor, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, University of Toronto  
  • Parteek Sibal, Programme Specialist, Digital Transformation, UNESCO [Virtual] 

1:40 – 2:40 P.M.: Panel 2: Data governance for a trusted global internet   This panel will focus on the crucial topic of data governance and trust. The high-level findings of this session will be presented at the National Regional Initiative Main Session at the global Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto, Japan. This session will discuss the relationship between data governance and trust; how international data governance mechanisms and frameworks can be reconciled with local needs; the decolonization of data in Canada; and ethical considerations for data governance as AI continues to become an omni-present force.   Speakers:  

• • Charles Morgan, Partner, McCarthy Tetrault, Moderator   
  • Sonia Carreno, President, Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada  
  • Cristiano Therrien, Sr. Project Coordinator, Open North  
  • Michael Lenczner, Chief Executive Officer, Ajah   

1:40 – 2:40 P.M.: Breakout Session 3: The ethics of AI: Hype versus reality   2023 is the year of generative artificial intelligence (AI). With its rapid rise in sophistication, the current and future consequences of generative AI are and will be incredibly significant. While the ethical implications of AI are not new – the stakes of figuring out these near-existential questions have never been more important. On the input side, there are questions about how the data used to train AI and machine learning are with or without bias, and what level of human oversight needs to be embedded into the use of AI. On the output side, it is largely unknown what the future of work will look like. How can AI add value? Where will AI replace humans? As generative AI swept over the population, many tech giants called for the immediate cessation of its use. So – what’s AI hype? What are real, existential threats? How can we mitigate harms and take advantage of a very consequential general purpose technology?   Speakers:  

• • Anna Jahn, Director of Public Policy and Learning, AI for Humanity, MILA, moderator   
  • Jonathan Durand Folco, Associate Professor, St. Paul University  
  • Connor Wright, Partnerships Manager, Montreal AI Ethics Institute [Virtual participant]  
  • Ellie Evans, Data and Evaluation Product Manager, Cohere AI  
  • Zorina Alliata, Principal AI Strategist, Amazon [Virtual participant]   

1:40 – 2:40 P.M.: Breakout Session 4: Towards WSIS +20: internet governance in 2025 and beyond    In 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) recognized the importance of multistakeholderism in internet governance and the respective roles played by governments, the private sector, civil society, intergovernmental and international organizations. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is one of the major outcomes of WSIS. The IGF and its extension will be a critical aspect of the WSIS +20 review process, which will inevitably be informed by the proposed Global Digital Compact. Since WSIS, the world has changed – so too have the political, social and economic dynamics with it. As we head towards WSIS +20, this breakout session will invite folks to discuss what the future of global internet governance looks like. What should the Canadian priorities be and how can Canadian stakeholders engage in the process effectively?   Speakers:  

• • Alex Bushell, CANARIE, Moderator  
  • Michel Lambert, General Manager, eQualitie  
  • Sabrina Wilkinson, Policy Program Manager, CIRA    
  • Paul Andersen, President, CNOC  
  • Evan Leibovitch, Executive Director, Agridiscovery Foundation  

4:10 – 4:40 P.M.: Fireside chat   Location: Plenary room   Speakers:  

• • Maurice Turner, Technical Policy Lead, TikTok  
  • Georgia Evans, Policy and Advocacy Analyst, CIRA (Moderator)  

4:40 P.M.: Closing and thanks  

Sponsors

Presenting sponsors Gold sponsors Partners  

Panelists

Daniel Bernhard, FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting Michael Geist, University of Ottawa Laura Tribe, OpenMedia Janet Yale, Chair of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel Byron Holland, Canadian Internet Registration Authority (Moderator)

Key Issues

• How and when Canada ought to assert its sovereignty and jurisdiction with “Big Tech”
• Supporting news media, arts, and Canadian culture in the digital age
• Net neutrality
• The need to have a sophisticated discussion about the differences between various online service providers instead of painting “Big Tech” with a single brush

Discussion Overview

The Canadian government’s approach to Big Tech rests largely on taking advantage of its success and continued growth, rather than trying to limit the companies’ power and influence. The panelists suggested that its haste in trying to “level the playing field” between Canadian companies and the “web giants” has led to a mismanaged policy process, ill-defined concepts in legislation, and confusion over its commitment to the principles of the open internet. There are various approaches to reigning in Big Tech being pursued across the globe, including through anti-trust, privacy reform, and copyright. In Canada, there has not been a sophisticated discussion about the differences between the services Big Tech companies like Facebook and Amazon offer and the companies themselves. This has led to inappropriate legislative responses that are motivated by the desire to take on Big Tech and use their power to benefit legacy Canadian media. Some panelists suggested that there is existing legislation in Canada that the government has not taken full advantage to hold large online service providers accountable. There are large discrepancies between what was promised, what was intended, and what has ended up in Bill C-10, An Act to Amend the Broadcasting Act. The panelists suggested that the government seriously mismanaged the parliamentary process for a Bill that might have an incredible impact on the Canadian internet users’ online experience, freedom of expression and net neutrality. Though the intention to exempt user generated content and small online undertakings from CRTC requirements was initially there, the policy process resulted in the removal of these protections. The Bill would provide the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) substantial discretion over key elements of the Bill, like its discoverability requirements. There is currently very low public trust in the CRTC, making this discretion potentially problematic. The potential for discoverability requirements to result in the prioritization of some content and de-prioritization of others calls net neutrality into question, though some simply argue that the Bill’s discoverability requirements will only increase Canadian choices without affecting net neutrality or freedom of expression. Some argue that digital CanCon is strong enough to stand on its own without government intervention. There is widespread agreement that news media need financial support, as a diverse and vibrant news sector is vital for a healthy democracy. The Australian model requires that large platforms make payment arrangements with news media to share their content. The EU model uses copyright to compel platforms to pay for links and shared news. Both models can be problematic as they create the potential for less news to be present on platforms, which is contradictory to the goal of giving citizens’ more access to high quality news. A tax and grant system is one possibility for Canada.

Key Insights

• The debate around Bill C-10 serves as an indicator for how the rest of the government’s internet policy may be received.
• The government should go back to the drawing board to clearly define several key terms and concepts before regulating Big Tech, such as CanCon, discoverability, social media services, and the delineation between companies’ services and the companies themselves.
• The government should begin by enforcing existing laws to keep Big Tech in check and ensure they are responsible for the harms occurring on their platforms.
• While drafting legislation to support news media, arts, and culture, the government should begin with an understanding of what their intended outcomes for Canada are.
• Messaging is of utmost importance to reaffirm the commitment to net neutrality and principles of the open internet.