Open Access Government explores recent and exciting developments in the Canadian Government’s science and research policy, focusing on collaboration and artificial intelligence
The Right Honourable Mark Carney is the 24th Prime Minister of Canada, having been sworn in as the Leader of the Liberal Party in March 2025. His Government aims to “take action to unite Canadians, defend Canada’s sovereignty, and build the strongest economy in the G7.” (1) His Cabinet includes The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and responsible for Economic Development in Quebec. (2)
Minister Joly assumed this office in May 2025 (3), not long before this editorial was written. As part of this policy remit, the Government of Canada believes that science and research can address the world’s most pressing challenges, drive innovation and economic growth, and explore fundamental questions about life. This is why they support international scientific collaboration and invest in research that expands the boundaries of human knowledge.
CERN: Research collaboration with Canada
This commitment was demonstrated in late May 2025, when the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and the Minister responsible for Economic Development Canada for Quebec Regions, announced that Canada signed a statement of intent with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). This agreement aims to strengthen collaboration on future planning for extensive research infrastructure facilities, as well as on the development of novel, advanced tools and techniques.
CERN, located in Geneva, Switzerland, is a leading research facility focused on fundamental physics. Its mission is to uncover what the universe is made of and how it works. Canada contributes to CERN’s work through scientific expertise, advanced equipment, and top talent, with TRIUMF – the country’s particle accelerator centre serving as the primary link in these efforts.
The statement of intent ensures that Canada remains a world leader in physics, enhancing its contributions to research on the universe’s mysteries. By signing this statement of intent, Canada and CERN have signalled their intention to improve collaboration in planning
future projects and fostering groundbreaking scientific discoveries. This includes ongoing studies of the Future Circular Collider (FCC), which is CERN’s next flagship project.
The proposed FCC would eventually replace the Large Hadron Collider, currently the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, used to study the universe’s fundamental building blocks. If the FCC is selected to move forward, Canada intends to collaborate on its physics and construction experiments planned for the facility, pending domestic approvals.
Additionally, Canada and CERN plan to promote joint efforts in developing advanced technologies, such as quantum technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as their applications in particle physics research and beyond. Through this partnership, Canada is advancing human understanding of the universe and ensuring that Canadian researchers and scientists remain at the forefront of discovery.
“Canada’s scientific community has long been at the forefront of particle physics research. This collaboration with CERN will further diversify our international partnerships and strengthen Canada’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. By working with the world’s leading physics research facility, the government is creating opportunities for Canadian researchers to contribute to groundbreaking discoveries that will advance our understanding of the universe and drive technological innovation,” said The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
“With this statement of intent, Canada is showing its support for TRIUMF and the country’s national major research facilities, and for the academic and industrial research communities they support,” added Nigel Smith, Executive Director and CEO of TRIUMF. (4)
Bolstering Canada’s AI advantage
In another development, in late May 2025, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, together with the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, made a statement. The statement noted that the Government of Canada welcomes recent announcements from leading telecommunications companies, including Telus and Bell, regarding their plans to build the critical infrastructure needed to bolster Canada’s AI advantage. The rest of the statement is below.
“These forward-looking private sector investments will help create high-quality jobs in Canada, open up new opportunities for workers at home and strengthen Canada’s position as an AI leader. It also supports the responsible development and adoption of AI technologies that can improve prosperity for workers and businesses across Canada.
“Notwithstanding unjustified tariffs imposed by the United States, these announcements show industry is strongly aligned with Canada’s plans to build the strongest economy in the G7, and the desire to see AI get to scale, unlock productivity gains, and fuel trust, security and sovereignty at this time of crisis.
“These investments are also a testament to Canada’s commitment to ensuring all Canadians have access to best-in-class technologies. The Government of Canada will continue to champion investments that expand access to reliable, affordable telecommunications and support the growth of Canadian businesses in every corner of the country. Canada is open for business.” (5)
The future of science and research policy in Canada
We are filled with anticipation as we look ahead to the future advancements in science and research policy within Canada. This eagerness is further amplified by the recent shifts in the Government of Canada, as highlighted at the start of this editorial. The signing of a statement of intent with CERN marks a significant step in strengthening scientific collaboration, opening the door to groundbreaking innovations and knowledge exchanges.
Additionally, the recent announcements from telecommunications companies regarding the establishment of AI infrastructure pave the way for a more dynamic and technologically advanced landscape. Together, these developments lay a promising foundation for even more thrilling advancements in government policy, making it an exciting time for
researchers and innovators across the country.
References
- https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/about#:~:text=The%20Right%20Honourable%20Mark%20Carney%2C%20Prime%20Minister%20of%20Canada&text=Born%20in%20Fort%20Smith%2C%20Northwest,of%20community%20and%20hard%20work.
- https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/cabinet
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9lanie_Joly
- https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2025/05/canada-signs-statement-of-intent-with-cern-to-strengthenscientific-collaboration.html
- https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2025/05/government-of-canada-welcomes-recent-announcementsfrom-telecommunications-companies-in-ai-infrastructure.html
![Figure 1 - The figure illustrates the diversity and multi-scale nature of the structures in the Galaxy. The first two lines are real astronomical images, which go from the galactic disk itself and down to the planet-forming disks. The last two lines are generated from numerical simulations and aim to understand and interpret the observations. [adapted from Facchini et al. 2025, Göller et al. 2025, Hennebelle et al. 2022, Lebreuilly et al. 2024, Molinari et al. 2016, 2025, Reissl et al. 2016]](https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/figure-100x70.png "Predictive modelling of galactic star and planet formation")
