Canada has to defend this vital part of its infrastructure from America. Here are three steps Mark Carney can take

Posted on January 7, 2026 in Governance Debates

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TheStar.com – Opinion/contributors
Jan. 5, 2026.   By Renee Black, Andrew Clement and John Matheson, Contributors. 

Canada’s digital infrastructure is a core part of modern life. But with the threat from the U.S., we must find a way to erect digital borders and protect Canadian sovereignty.

Prime Minister Carney says we are at a “hinge moment.” He is right. The question is: will we seize it?

Canada is in a period of geopolitical realignment, trade conflict and AI-driven economic upheaval. These forces operate through digital infrastructure, data, platforms and algorithms — most of which are owned and governed by a small number of gargantuan US technology firms.

This is the missing link in our national debate. Big Tech is not just an economic actor; it is now a central vector of American power.

With Canada’s growing dependence on Big Tech and our vulnerability to the whims of the White House, the prime minister has an opportunity to start 2026 with a transformative agenda aimed at reclaiming Canada’s digital sovereignty.

Digital sovereignty means democratic control over digital ecosystems free of foreign interference and in alignment with Canadian values. It is essential to our political independence, economic security, cultural vitality and democratic legitimacy.

For Canada to be digitally sovereign, it would not involve cutting ourselves off from the world. Digital autarky is neither feasible nor desirable. Rather, it would mean using technical and legal means to secure our most critical infrastructure, sensitive data and vital services. It would mean building collective leverage in partnership with allies committed to human rights, accountability and the public interest. It means domestic investment in competitive, interoperable and commodified tech stack markets — while ensuring investments are sovereign in more than words only.

A digitally sovereign Canada would also be a country where businesses can reach customers without paying ever-increasing digital “rents” to dominant platforms; Canadian institutions could function despite presidential directives to tech companies; our culture, languages, Indigenous knowledge, and regional identities could thrive without getting buried by foreign content and recommender systems; and independent technology research and deliberative public engagement could inform sovereign digital policy.

Yet despite real threats facing Canadians, the debate on digital sovereignty risks becoming dysfunctional. One side supports a sovereign digital future for Canada while the other mischaracterizes this vision as “unrealistic.” Such false dichotomies are designed to distort complex but urgent policy debates.

With their astronomical wealth, tech companies use extraordinary, undemocratic means to shape policy conversations in favour of consolidating US power. From pushing the White House to leverage trade negotiations to weaken Canadian autonomy to lobbying Canadian politicians, to funding media to astroturfing, they resist all attempts to restrict their power. Three CUSMA renegotiation submissions by influential US tech lobbyists argue for Canada to abandon digital sovereignty.

If we do not act now, the result will be drift, delay and quiet capitulation.

The prime minister’s recent installation of Marc Miller as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture could signal a promising move. Miller appears willing and able to grapple with the complex tensions of digital governance. But this is just a start.

If Canada is serious about reclaiming our digital future, three steps are needed.

First, Canada needs a new digital strategy and charter to meet the moment. This should not be symbolic, but a clear vision of Canada’s digitally sovereign future. This strategy should articulate a clear statement of purpose, establish shared principles for data, AI, digital infrastructure, online safety, democratic accountability, and provide coherence across government in response to the current patchwork of policy initiatives.

Second, Canada must identify and secure the most critical digital systems and data from foreign control. This means mapping the country’s most sensitive governance, commercial, and public-interest data and ensuring they are housed in systems beyond the reach of undemocratic extraterritorial powers such as the US Cloud Act. In concert, we should partner with allies to develop these critical digital infrastructures, including public-interest technology, to build competitive, trusted alternatives to dominant US companies.

Third, Canada must stop giving away leverage to the U.S. Conceding the Digital Services Tax did not stabilize trade relations, reduce pressure or buy goodwill with Trump. The same will be true of the concessions of the Strong Borders Act, which trades away hard-won (if-flawed) laws like the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act, while also allowing American dominance in AI to be imposed on Canada. Digital sovereignty does not arrive by surrender.

Together, these steps would mark a shift from rhetoric into action. Canada’s digital destiny is still ours to write — but only if we seize this hinge moment with decisive and deliberate action.

Renee Black is the CEO of Goodbot. Andrew Clement is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. John Matheson is a senior fellow at the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University. All three are part of the Steering Committee Members of Canadians for Digital Sovereignty. 

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/canada-has-to-defend-this-vital-part-of-its-infrastructure-from-america-here-are-three/article_6cf933ba-dbbc-4dd0-886f-28b943c4966f.html

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