HUMA Committee Report

Dissenting Report to the

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee Report on Implications of Artificial Intelligence Technologies for the Canadian Labor Force

Conservative Party of Canada

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Introduction 

Artificial intelligence continues to grow and change every day and the government must be well equipped to respond to its changing landscape and its impacts on the Canadian workplace.

Through this committee’s study, witnesses testified to regulations around privacy concerning artificial intelligence, the poor state of Canadian productivity and innovation in this field, how AI opportunities could be looked at by governments to boost efficiencies, and the need for the consideration of artificial intelligence in international trade agreements. While the report briefly mentions these points, it does not go sufficiently in depth in how the lack of action concerning these topics creates challenges to our ability to manage AI’s impact on the Canadian workforce.

Privacy Concerns

The issue of protecting privacy was a major concern highlighted by witnesses and the committee repeatedly heard the dangers artificial intelligence poses to the privacy rights of Canadians.

Artificial intelligence will soon be present in a plethora of workplaces across the country and ensuring the protection of workers’ private information in a variety of settings is an issue the government will quickly face. Developing policy for all workplace contexts is essential to ensuring the protection of workers’ rights.

On November 20, 2023, Angus Lockhart, a Senior Policy Analyst from The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University, noted the concerns that might arise in medical settings and protecting the privacy of not only workers but also the information of patients:

“I do know that AI is going to require new forms of medical privacy. As data gets fed into these large algorithms, there's an opportunity for the algorithms to spew that back out in a way that we don't or can't anticipate. It requires a degree of care that is larger and more significant than previous tools.”

In addition to ensuring privacy protection in every workplace, the committee heard from multiple witnesses that the government must take action quickly. When developing policy, there is a need to acknowledge the ever-changing landscape of AI and how that intersects with existing regulations. Furthermore, it should be prepared to adapt legislation to the changing problems that will surround AI in the future as it develops.

Witnesses told the committee that the government must empower Canadians by giving them the sole ownership of their privacy. Professor David Autour told the committee on November 20, 2023:

“Privacy will be compromised unless regulation prevents it and unless people have ownership of the right to privacy. I think it's a very serious concern.”

If the government does not take meaningful action, such as ensuring the protection of ownership of one’s own data, artificial intelligence will encroach further into the data of Canadians, further complicating how Canadians keep their information private and how the discovery of information that has been stolen.

The report does mention in a single section the issue of artificial intelligence and privacy rights; however, there should be a greater emphasis placed on how the future of artificial intelligence may impact the protection of Canadians’ privacy. Canadians’ privacy can only be protected by ensuring a concerted effort is taken in every workplace setting, through education, and by empowering citizens’ ownership over their own private data.

Canada’s Low Productivity

The committee heard from witnesses how Canadian productivity is in a poor state when compared to international partners and how artificial intelligence can pose opportunities to aid Canadian productivity.

Conservatives believe there should have been far more emphasis in the report placed on the potential opportunities to improve Canada’s productivity. This is due to the fact that the OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows a direct link between a nation’s productivity and quality of life. When compared to other OECD countries, over the past nine years, the quality of life of Canadians has diminished, and Canada is on track to have the lowest productivity (quality of life) of all OECD countries. It’s been reported over a million people had to go to a food bank in Canada in one month, seniors are having to go back to work, and young adults are losing hope of every owning their own home.

Canada’s productivity level, especially in areas such as output, is in a poor state, and Conservatives believe this should be taken very seriously. Artificial intelligence is new, and Canadian companies are struggling to enter into the global market and are having difficulties in finding relevant talent in Canada. Laurent Carbonneau, the Director of Policy and Research for the Council of Canadian Innovators, repeatedly highlighted the worrying trend of unproductivity in Canada on November 1^, 2023:

“To that point, the impact of this is how wide our horizon is as a country. If we're not a very productive economy compared to our neighbours, then it just forecloses options for us in the future.”

And also,

“We are well behind the U.S. There's a pretty big gap between output per hour.”

When considering the impacts of artificial intelligence on workplaces, the government must look to reverse the poor state of Canadian productivity (affecting Canadian’s quality of life) and how artificial intelligence development can play a role in boosting productivity. While the report briefly mentions productivity in paragraph 32, greater recognition is needed in the report of Canada’s poor productivity level and what that means for the future of Canadian innovation. Only by acknowledging this can the federal government ensure Canada receives economic benefits from AI development.

Efficiencies in Government

Though the report mentions potential opportunities for AI in government, for example, through the testimony of Ryan Smith on how the City of Kelowna has used AI to accelerate housing permits with less red tape, Conservatives believe that greater emphasis should have been placed in the report on looking at AI for ways to improve efficiencies within the federal government. After nine years, the federal government has increased the use of outside consultants with the Parliamentary Budget Officer now projecting another year over year increase to $21.6 billion for external consultant spending. Issues around mismanagement of procurement processes has come to light at other committees Conservatives believe that the federal government must take seriously the needs of the Canadians when delivering government services in a responsible, cost effective, and efficient way.

Trade Issues

Across the world, countries will soon harness the power of artificial intelligence in both the private and public sectors, and this could entail the interaction of artificial intelligence and international trade agreements. The report mentions AI in trade once despite testimony that artificial intelligence must be considered in trade agreements.

On November 1, 2023, Laurent Carbonneau answered, in response to a question from Conservatives if AI should be considered in trade agreements: “The short answer is absolutely yes, Certainly, if we're not doing it, others will.”

Canada cannot fall behind international partners when dealing with artificial intelligence as it expands and grows; this includes when negotiating international trade agreements. Conservatives believe the report should have made recommendations on the need for the Canadian government to consider how artificial intelligence interacts with existing and future trade agreements and its potential for use in the future.

Conclusion

The report does highlight the impacts artificial intelligence poses on the Canadian workforce but does not go in-depth enough on issues relevant to the state of Canadian artificial intelligence. Conservatives believe the report must take into account and look to address issues such as low productivity, the lack of privacy protection, looking at efficiencies in government and the exclusion of a recognition of AI and trade. Without these considerations, Canada risks falling behind in relation to artificial intelligence domestically and on the world stage.

If Canada intends to be a real player in artificial intelligence along with our allies, the government must first reconcile domestic privacy concerns through meaningful regulation. It is equally important for the government to reverse Canada’s poor productivity, look at how AI could help deliver government services in a responsible, cost effective, and efficient way, and plan how AI will affect international trade with Canada’s existing and future trading partners.