People’s Consultation on AI Now Accepting Submissions
In October 2025, Citizen Lab researchers and director Ron Deibert signed an open letter to the Canadian Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and the Minister of Industry rejecting the “National Sprint” on AI strategy and announcing a then-forthcoming independent “People’s Consultation on AI.”
The independent consultation is now accepting submissions until March 15, 2026. Deibert says, “It is entirely unacceptable to allow tech platforms to experiment on billions of people for private gain with no meaningful restraint.” Senior fellow Cynthia Khoo notes, “If we have learned one thing repeatedly from the cascading and discriminatory harms of so many cycles of tech hype…it’s that those hardest hit often see the future first, but are the last to be heard.”
Submissions are meant to help build a foundation to support future civil society efforts to shape an effective response to the threats posed by AI to human rights and civil liberties. They will be published on the consultation website and shared with the federal government.
