AI for All Strategy is Practical & Relevant
June 4, 2026 – Ottawa, ON – Polytechnics Canada congratulates the federal government on the release of Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All.
News & Events
labour market
Tools and talent
Innovation is, at its core, about the people who solve problems, find new approaches and drive value creation. This makes it essential to focus on developing and deploying talent, especially at a time when Canada is rewriting its trade, defence and infrastructure story for the next century.
Reliable short-term capability will deliver long-term defence strength
Imagine two countries facing the same threat. Both know the technology will evolve quickly and the first solution will be incomplete. One spends years refining requirements and waiting for certainty. The other gets a workable first version into testing, learns with users, fixes what matters and moves again. A few years later, the second country usually has the stronger position. It has a better tool, stronger suppliers, sharper operators, better data and a clearer sense of what should come next. In defence, capability often grows through movement. That lesson matters for Canada.
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Skilled trades: a first-choice career
Skilled tradespeople have always played a leading role in shaping Canada.
They’ve built, modified and maintained infrastructure that houses us, keeps us safe and makes it possible for us to have an advanced and diverse economy for generations.
Yet, somehow, we’ve failed to communicate this to young people at the family dinner table, in primary, middle and secondary school classrooms, at virtually any point of influence when discussing post-secondary education options.
We need more skilled workers and we need them faster
In every conversation I have with employers – from mining and construction to energy and manufacturing – the message is consistent: ‘We need more skilled workers, and we need them faster.’
Across Canada, hundreds of thousands of tradespeople will retire by 2028. Employers are sounding the alarm. Here in Saskatchewan, we’ll need thousands of new apprentices and journeypersons just to maintain momentum, never mind delivering the ambitious nation-building the federal government envisions.
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How to fix Canada’s sputtering productivity
Canada is facing a national productivity emergency. This country’s economic output per worker, which has been stagnant for decades, took a turn for the worse during the pandemic, declining by 0.6 per cent since 2020.
Since the turn of the 21st century, Canada has responded to this slow-growing crisis with familiar policies, modest reforms, and prolonged study. The results are now unmistakable: productivity has stalled and peer economies are pulling away, while Canada confronts stagnant wages, declining competitiveness, and growing economic insecurity. As this country works to build a more resilient national economy and diversify its international trading relationships, it must find a way to raise its lagging productivity now.
Productivity Now: How an underutilized — yet proven — model of higher education can lift Canada’s economy out of the productivity crisis
Humber Polytechnic has released “Productivity Now,” a report on how to address the nation’s productivity emergency through its underutilized polytechnic model of education.
Authored by President and CEO Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, “Productivity Now” argues that polytechnic education links theory to practice in ways that directly impact productivity, accelerate technology adoption and build end-to-end skills pipelines for sectors critical to Canada’s future.
Reimagining education: A polytechnic path to youth employment – and Canada’s resilience
Canada stands at a crossroads. Youth unemployment is surging, reaching levels more typically seen during recessions: 14.7 per cent nationally, with Saskatchewan’s only slightly lower at 13.4 per cent.
These are not just numbers. They reflect a growing disconnect between education and employment.
As we navigate economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, and rapid technological change, one thing is clear: Canada’s global competitiveness and economic resilience depend on how we prepare young people for the future of work. That means reimagining education – through a polytechnic lens.
Why investing in people is Canada’s most critical infrastructure project
In the face of a changing relationship with our southern neighbour, Canada is on the cusp of rewriting its trade, defence and infrastructure story for the next century. This will mean new investments and opportunities as the country aims to make itself more efficient and productive. Economic prosperity will rely, first and foremost, on enterprising Canadians putting their skills to work.
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