Canada
Digital snapshot – key policies and laws
Canada’s digital governance combines mature institutions with a new emphasis on trust, sovereignty and resilience. The federal digital-government agenda is guided by Canada’s Digital Ambition 2024–25, but Canada is actively shifting its focus from foundational frameworks like the Digital Ambition to much more targeted ‘digital strategies’. The most prominent national policy is the broader ‘AI for All’ framework, which builds on this ambition with a strong emphasis on AI adoption, digital literacy, and the protection of public data. Canada remains one of the world’s more open online environments, rated ‘Free’ with 86/100 in Freedom House’s 2024 internet freedom assessment, and ranks highly for e-participation in the UN E-Government Development Index.
Looking at the country’s digital profile from a data protection angle, the current private-sector framework remains PIPEDA, while federal public bodies are covered by the Privacy Act. In June 2026, the government introduced Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, which would strengthen children’s data protection, enforcement and rules for cross-border personal-data transfers.
Canada’s AI governance reflects both early leadership and regulatory delay. The country built a strong research ecosystem through the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, while the 2026 strategy, AI for All, shifts the focus toward adoption, safety, sovereign compute and Canadian AI firms. Public-sector AI is governed through the Directive on Automated Decision-Making and the Algorithmic Impact Assessment. Yet Canada still lacks a comprehensive AI law in force, leaving voluntary commitments, privacy law, procurement rules and the Canadian AI Safety Institute to carry much of the governance load.
Connectivity remains one of Canada’s most practical tests of digital governance. Through High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy, the federal government aims to connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed internet by 2026 and 100% by 2030. The Universal Broadband Fund and the CRTC Broadband Fund target rural, remote and Indigenous connectivity gaps.
Regarding the digital economy, CASL governs commercial electronic messages and online marketing, GST/HST digital-economy rules cover many digital supplies and platform operators, and the Competition Bureau’s approach to drip pricing addresses misleading online pricing. Platform governance has become more visible through the Online News Act, which led to Google’s annual CAD 100 million contribution to Canadian news, and the Online Streaming Act, which brings large streaming services into Canada’s cultural policy framework.
The federal 2024 Application Hosting Strategy moves beyond a simple ‘cloud first’ approach and asks where workloads should run according to value, security and risk. The Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy treats compute as national infrastructure, while the National Quantum Strategy builds on strengths in quantum computing, communications and sensing.
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Canada’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva:
Canada’s Permanent Mission in Geneva is the country’s largest multilateral mission and represents Canadian interests across the UN system, the World Trade Organisation, the Conference on Disarmament and other Geneva-based organisations.
Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/canada
EMBASSY AND PERMANENT MISSION TO THE UN – GENEVA
Twitter/X profile: https://x.com/CanadaGeneva
Twitter/X French profile: https://x.com/CanadaGeneve
Facebook page
Consult Canada’s digital strategies and regulations
Here you can explore the country’s main digital strategies, laws, and regulations by simply asking the chatbot, which is designed to help you quickly find relevant documents and understand the country’s digital policy landscape.
Main digital policies and regulations in the country:
- Canada’s Digital Ambition 2024–25
- 2023–2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service
- Government of Canada Digital Talent Strategy
- SSC 3.0: An Enterprise Approach
- Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All
- Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy
- Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy
- AI Strategy for the Federal Public Service 2025–2027
- Canada’s National Cyber Security Strategy: Securing Canada’s Digital Future
- Government of Canada Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy
- High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy
- Canada’s National Quantum Strategy
- National Quantum Strategy Roadmap: Quantum Computing Hardware and Software
Follow Canada’s digital submarine cables
The data is sourced from reputable international agencies and organizations. Hover over each field for source information and explanations.
General profile
Official name: Canada
National internet domain: CA
Area: 9,984,670 km2
Capital: Ottawa
Population: 40.1 million
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Population growth: 2.93
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Life expectancy at birth: 81.30
Total years (Estimate for 2022)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Rule of law estimate: 1.57
Rule of Law captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate for 2023)
Regulatory quality estimate: 1.68
Political stability: 0.77
Economic info
Currency: Canadian dollar
Unemployment (%): 5.42
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
GDP (current US$): 2,140.1 billion
GDP growth (annual %): 1.07
GDP per capita (current US$): 53.4 thousand
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 3.88
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Digital profile
Internet and social media penetration:
Individuals using the internet, total (%): 94
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Social media users: 31.9 million
Estimate for 2024Male internet users (%): 95
Male internet users as a % of total male population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Facebook users: 23.0 million
Estimate for 2024Female internet users (%): 94
Female Internet users as a % of total female population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Instagram users: 19.3 million
Estimate for 2024Households with internet access at home (%): 95.29
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Linkedin users: 24.0 million
Estimate for 2024Fixed broadband subscriptions: 43.18
Total fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
X users: 14.4 million
Estimate for 2024Mobile infrastructure and access:
Mobile ownership (%): 89.22
Mobile phone ownership as a % of total population (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Infrastructure: 89.05
Mobile Infrastructure index: High-performance mobile internet coverage availability. It includes parameters such as network coverage, performance, quality of supporting infrastructure and amount of spectrum assigned to mobile network operators (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile internet (%): 4.94
This metric evaluates the disparity in mobile internet access between genders. (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Affordability: 85.99
Mobile Affordability index : The availability of mobile services and devices at price points that reflect the level of income across a national population. It includes parameters such as mobile tariffs, headset prices, taxation and inequality (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile ownership (%): 15.33
Represents the disparity between genders in owning mobile devices. (Estimate for 2023)Top-Level Domains (TLDs) per person: 85.43
Number of generic and country Top Level Domains per person Estimate for 2023.Network performance: 90.67
Network performance index: Quality of mobile services measured by download speed, upload speed and latencies (Estimate for 2023)Mobile download speeds: 100
Mobile download speeds: Average download speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile uploads speeds: 83.37
Mobile uploads speeds: average uploads speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Latencies: 88.63
Mobile Latencies: Average latency for mobile users (originally in milliseconds) (Estimate for 2023)Network Coverage (%): 97.91
Network coverage (% of total population) (Estimate for 2023)2G Coverage (%): 99.70
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)3G Coverage (%): 99
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)4G Coverage (%): 99
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)5G Coverage (%): 87.40
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)Operating system and browser market share estimate
Operating system market share (%):
Desktop, Tablet & Console Operating System Market Share: Estimate for 2024Browser market share (%):
Browser Market Share Worldwide: Estimate for 2024Android: 19.71
Chrome: 49
Win10: 18.92
Safari: 34.92
iOS: 30.10
Edge: 8.07
OS X: 13.86
Firefox: 3.69
Win11: 12.51
Samsung Internet: 2.34
The UN E-Government Survey
The UN E-Government Survey is the assessment of the digital government landscape across all UN member states. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies.E-Government Rank: 47
Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. Estimate gives the country's rank.E-Government Index: 0.84
The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.E-Participation Index: 0.91
The E-Participation Index (EPI) is derived as a supplementary index to the United Nations E-Government Survey. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Online Service Index: 0.85
The online services index was developed by the UN to evaluate the scope and quality of government online services. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Human Capital Index: 0.87
The Human Capital Index (HCI) quantiï¬es the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Telecommunication Infrastructure Index: 0.80
Telecommunication Infrastructure Index- Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) Composite Indicator that measures the countries' Telecommunication infrastructure readiness to adopt the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technology as to enhance their competitiveness. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Government AI Readiness Index
Ranking: 6
Global Ranking is calculated based on the total score. (Estimate for 2024).Total: 78.18
The total score is calculated by taking the arithmetic mean of each dimension, followed by the arithmetic mean of each pillar. The final score is the arithmetic mean of the three pillars, with all indicators, dimensions, and pillars weighted equally. (Estimate for 2024).Government: 85.48
This pillar evaluates a government's readiness and capability to implement AI responsibly and effectively. It includes several dimensions: the presence of a national AI strategy (Vision), regulations for data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity, along with ethical frameworks and accountability measures (Governance and Ethics). It also considers the existing IT infrastructure, online services, and promotion of emerging technology investments (Digital Capacity). Finally, it assesses the government’s ability to change and innovate effectively, including responsiveness to change, effectiveness, and use of procurement data (Adaptability). (Estimate for 2024).Technology Sector: 61.69
This pillar assesses the country's technology sector and its ability to support AI implementation. It includes the maturity of the sector, measured by metrics such as the number of AI and non-AI unicorns, value of trade in ICT services and goods, and spending on computer software (Maturity). It also evaluates the sector's capacity for innovation, considering factors like time spent dealing with regulations, availability of venture capital, R&D spending, company investment in emerging technology, and research papers published in AI (Innovation Capacity). Additionally, it examines the availability of skills within the population, focusing on STEM graduates, GitHub users, female STEM graduates, quality of engineering education, and ICT skills (Human Capital). (Estimate for 2024).Data and Infrastructure: 87.35
This pillar evaluates a country’s technological and data infrastructure to support AI implementation. It examines the quality of technological infrastructure, including telecommunications, supercomputing capabilities, broadband quality, 5G infrastructure, and the adoption of emerging technologies (Infrastructure). It also assesses the availability of data for training AI models, considering factors such as open data, data governance, mobile-cellular subscriptions, household internet access, and statistical capacity (Data Availability). Additionally, it considers the representativeness of the available data, focusing on metrics like the gender gap in internet access and the affordability of internet-enabled devices relative to GDP per capita (Data Representativeness). (Estimate for 2024).