The Case for Canada: Making AI Count

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Date: March 26, 2026
Location: Ottawa, ON | TCC Canada | 150 Elgin Street | 8th Floor

Canada’s AI potential is widely recognized but realizing it depends on how effectively AI is adopted, measured and integrated into the economy and workforce.

In March 2026, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab (BDL) will host its second annual Data Conference, building on the strong foundation established at the inaugural event in March 2025. The 2026 conference will focus on AI adoption, measurement, and diffusion across the Canadian economy, and will align closely with the Chamber’s Future of AI Council workplan for 2026.

The event will bring together a diverse group of federal and provincial public-sector leaders, along with business experts, researchers, economists and industry partners, for a practical and data-informed conversation about where Canada stands on AI, and what comes next.

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The Case for Canada Conference is designed to move beyond high-level discussion and focus on how AI is actually being used, measured, and understood today. Throughout the day, participants will engage with questions such as:

• Where is AI adoption happening across Canada’s economy today?
• Where do gaps and barriers remain?
• What should Canada be measuring next to better understand progress and policy effectiveness?
• How can new and emerging measurement efforts, such as Statistics Canada’s TechStat program, better support decision-making?

The discussion will be grounded in new Business Data Lab research, applied examples, and expert perspectives, with a strong emphasis on evidence and real-world experience.

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This conference is intended for people who rely on data and evidence to inform decisions, including:

• Federal and provincial government leaders and policy professionals
• Economists, analysts and researchers
• Business and industry leaders focused on technology, productivity and innovation
• Workforce, education and skills stakeholders
• Measurement and statistics experts interested in AI and emerging technologies

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Date: March 26, 2026
Location: Ottawa, ON | TCC Canada | 150 Elgin Street | 8th Floor

All times are in Eastern Time (ET).

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Registration
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Welcome Remarks and Keynote Address Dr. Joel Blit, University of Waterloo, Economics A clear economic framing for understanding what AI is, what has recently changed, how the AI revolution is likely to unfold through the Replace, Reimagine, and Recombine phases, how to seize the opportunities, and the implications for jobs and skills.
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.	Keynote Address Mark Uhrbach, Chief of the Centre of Expertise for the Digital Economy at Statistics Canada, Chair of OECD Working Party on Digital Economics, Measurement and Analysis  A detailed walkthrough of emerging measurement tools and upcoming statistical innovations resulting from the annoucement of the TechStat program. This session explores survey development, data modernization initiatives, and practical steps to measure and make AI indicators more visible at a national level.
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.	Networking Break
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.	Data Spotlight: From Adoption to Advantage: What the Microdata Tells Us About AI and Productivity Dr. Jiang Beryl Li, Senior Project Leader, Economic Research and Analysis (ERA) Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) AI is central to Canada’s productivity ambitions, yet firm-level evidence on its economic impact remains emerging. Drawing on linked business microdata from the Survey of Digital Technology and Internet Use and the National Account Longitudinal Microdata File, this presentation examines who is adopting AI, where adoption is concentrated, and what early productivity signals are observable. While AI adopters tend to be larger or younger firms with complementary digital assets, measurable gains appear uneven and limited in the short run. As adoption accelerates, rigorous measurement of diffusion, complementary capacity, and performance outcomes will be essential to ensure Canada’s AI advantage is not only built but scaled.
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Panel 1: Building Canada’s AI Advantage: Gets Measured, Gets Scaled Moderator: Garry Ma, CEO, Ample Insight Speakers: Dr. Jiang Beryl Li, Senior Project Leader, Economic Research and Analysis (ERA) Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Shachi Kurl, President, Angus Reid Institute Kristina McElheran, Associate Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto Daniel Dufour, Vice-President, Standardization Services, Standard Council of Canada A strategic discussion on commercialization and diffusion, and how measurement shapes capital allocation, scale, and international competitiveness.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.	Lunch and Networking
1:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.	Interactive Workshop
3:15 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.	Networking Break
3:35 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.	Data Spotlight: Canadian Employment Trends in the Era of Generative AI Tahsin Mehdi, Economist, Statistics Canada Artificial intelligence (AI) holds the potential to transform the nature of work, and its ability to replace human labour remains a central concern. This study leverages over a decade of data and searches for early signs of AI-related labour market disruption in Canada, distinguishing jobs based on different levels of potential occupational exposure to and complementarity with AI technologies. While AI is currently associated with concerns about widespread job loss, early evidence from Canada suggests a more nuanced reality, highlighting a labour market evolving amid not just technological but other economic factors as well. As AI adoption accelerates, monitoring employment and job vacancy patterns will be essential to better understand how technological change is reshaping the labour market and for whom.
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	Panel 2: AI, Labour Markets and Skills: Measuring What Actually Changes Moderator: Patrick Gill, VP, Business Data Labs, Canadian Chamber of Commerce Speakers: Tahsin Mehdi, Economist, Statistics Canada Sandrine Kergroach, Senior Economist, OECD Edoardo De Martin, CEO & Co-Founder at Industrio AI Inc. A discussion of how AI adoption reshapes tasks, skills demand, and workforce transitions, and how to measure those changes.
4:45 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.	Closing Remarks

Thank You to Our Event Sponsor

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