Canada Seeks Stronger AI & Trade Ties with India at Global Summit

Canada's Minister of AI, Evan Solomon, emphasized the importance of the India AI Impact Summit in fostering fairness and wider accessibility in artificial intelligence. He stated the summit is focused on rebuilding strong economic and trade relationships between India and Canada. Solomon highlighted trust and governance as essential for AI adoption, noting collaboration with countries like Australia. The summit, a first hosted in the Global South, aims to align AI development with principles of welfare for all.

Key Points: Canada AI Minister on India Summit: Fairness, Trust, Trade

  • Rebuilding strong Canada-India economic ties
  • Ensuring fairness & global access to AI tools
  • Fostering trust and governance in AI
  • Strengthening tech partnerships in AI and energy
3 min read

"Summit is working towards fairness in AI accessibility," says Canadian AI Minister Solomon

Canadian AI Minister Evan Solomon highlights fairness, trust, and rebuilding economic ties with India at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

"The three key takeaways are strengthening our relationship... number two is trust, governance... and three is it's got to be fair. - Evan Solomon"

New Delhi, February 18

Evan Solomon, Canada's Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, on Wednesday said the ongoing India AI Impact Summit is working towards ensuring fairness and wider accessibility in artificial intelligence, while emphasising the importance of rebuilding strong economic ties between India and Canada.

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Solomon said Canada is focused on strengthening partnerships with India across key sectors, particularly in AI and technology.

"We're here at the AI Summit because we're building ties between Canada and India. We have lots of businesses that are working together, especially in AI and tech. And we're really looking forward to our businesses working more closely together on everything from energy, technology, life sciences and health and lots of different businesses in AI and tech that are really exciting between our two countries," he said.

Solomon also noted that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to visit India soon, signalling continued high-level engagement between the two nations.

Highlighting his key takeaways from the summit, Solomon said trade, trust and fairness remain central themes.

"The three key takeaways are strengthening our relationship, number one, that we, the whole world recognizes we need to trade more closely. And so for Canada and India to re-establish strong economic ties between our leaders and our businesses. Number two is trust, governance. AI has to be trusted to be used. And three is it's got to be fair. It's got to be everybody around the world, in the global south and the north. People have to have access to the tools and they have to be fair and this summit is working towards that," he said.

He further said that Canada is building new alliances and frameworks with partner countries and that summits such as this help accelerate collaboration.

"India and Canada are working closely together with other countries like Australia. We're building new alliances and frameworks with a memorandum of understanding. But we've also got great companies. Companies like Infosys are employing thousands of people in Canada. So lots of great Indian companies are coming to Canada, where we have talent market customers, and they're investing in Canada. And this is helping," he added.

Solomon's comments come amid the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from February 16 to February 20. The summit has brought together government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators, and civil society representatives from across the world to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence.

As the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South, the event aims to reflect on the transformative potential of AI, aligning with India's national vision of "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" (welfare for all, happiness for all) and the broader global principle of AI for Humanity.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
Strong economic ties are good, but the proof will be in the pudding. We've heard similar statements before. Let's see actual joint projects and investments materialize, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The mention of Infosys is promising though.
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Rohit P
"AI for Humanity" and aligning with 'Sarvajana Hitaya' – these are the right sentiments. The challenge is ensuring Western companies don't just see us as a market or a talent pool, but as equal partners in shaping the ethics and frameworks of this technology.
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Sarah B
As someone working in tech between Bangalore and Toronto, this is very encouraging. The talent exchange is real. More collaboration means more innovation. Hope the PM's visit happens soon and concrete policies follow.
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Vikram M
Trust is the keyword. After all the data privacy concerns, any AI developed needs to have robust Indian data governance at its heart. We cannot have fairness without local context and control. The summit must address this firmly.
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Karthik V
Good to see the focus on wider accessibility. But respectfully, summits often produce lofty goals. The real work is in making AI tools available in local languages and at low cost. Let's hope the MoUs translate into apps a chaiwala or a tailor can actually use.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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