Opinion: EU-Canada summit a historic opportunity to promote transparent AI - National Post

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, next to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, in Strasbourg, eastern France, on September 17, 2026. Photo by JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN /AFP via Getty ImagesArticle contentIn the face of threats to territorial, economic, cultural and digital sovereignty, as well as the fracturing of the international rules-based system and the geopolitical rupture, thousands of trusted news and magazine titles on both sides of the Atlantic believe the 21st EU-Canada Summit is a critically important opportunity for two key international partners to build resilience via concrete shared commitments to hold platforms to account.

Based on a leaked draft “EU-Canada Joint Summit Statement,” much progress is expected to be made at the summit in areas such as defence and security, critical resources and digital research and communications technologies.

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In her 2026 state of the union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated, “I am an optimist that AI has the potential to benefit humanity — if we get it right. But, as with any powerful new technology, AI comes with a balance of possibilities and risks. Without addressing these risks, we will never be able to unlock AI’s possibilities.” She also underscored the need to safeguard “our democratic fabric and free media.”

Speaking to the European Parliament in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney adroitly warned, “Technology platforms increasingly seek to act as sovereign powers. They want to dictate the rules of regulation — and even circumvent them. They want to control our data, spread misinformation and steal our children’s childhoods.”

He noted that, “Together, Canada and the European Union can anchor our ground to hold our values while forming a protective canopy under which our citizens can thrive.”

The question is: what should that protective canopy for our combined population of nearly 500-million people look like?