Canada risks enacting an artificial intelligence (AI) policy that protects people from harm, but not from irrelevance.

That tension is already visible in recent debates over youth and technology. Delegates to the recent Liberal Party national convention backed a social media ban for Canadians under 16, while federal and provincial governments are moving on issues of online safety. Protection may be necessary, but young people should not only be governed by digital policy. They should also have meaningful ways to help shape it.

More broadly, Ottawa is moving to secure Canada’s AI position through major public investment. Recent federal budgets have committed billions to computing capacity, infrastructure and adoption, while the recent spring economic update proposed a Canada Strong Fund to invest in strategic Canadian projects and companies.

These investments matter. But they also reflect a familiar pattern. When confronted with technological change, governments reach first for regulation, infrastructure and redistribution.

All are necessary. None is sufficient.

If Canada is to remain competitive in the AI era while maintaining social cohesion, it must move beyond managing risks and compensating losses. It must adopt a third approach – a contributive model of AI governance.

AI threatens not only employment, but also relevance. Entire categories of skills risk being devalued, leaving people formally included in the economy yet disconnected from meaningful participation.

Canada is not starting from scratch. Existing investments in AI infrastructure, research, skills and adoption already point in the right direction. The next step is to organize them around a clearer goal: ensuring Canadians can contribute meaningfully to an AI-driven economy.

That means building stronger talent pipelines, giving workers flexible transition support and creating more public interest AI pathways in fields such as health care, climate, education and public administration.

The limits of regulation and redistribution

Current AI policy is largely........

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