Canada’s $2.3B AI Strategy: What Agencies Must Do Now

Canada’s $2.3B AI Strategy Sets a 5x Adoption Target—Here’s What Agencies Need to Do Now

Canada has released a national AI strategy with an ambitious goal: increase business AI adoption from 12% to 60% by 2034. For advertising and marketing agencies operating in or serving Canadian clients, that is not just a policy milestone—it is a client readiness signal.

LBB spoke with Moov AI’s Olivier Blais and Nurun’s Anthony Habib, both part of the Publicis network, about what the $2.3 billion strategy actually means for the industry and where the real execution risk lies.

Key Takeaways:

• Funding alone will not drive adoption. Both experts warn that an “ambitious envelope without a defined channel rarely translates into adoption on the ground.” The strategy’s success depends on clear use cases, readiness assessments, workforce training, and change management support—not just capital deployment.
• Agencies need integrated capability, not siloed AI practices. Delivering on the strategy’s promise requires combining data and AI expertise, digital product development, and brand communication—across agency disciplines, not within a single isolated AI practice.
• Don’t wait for regulation. Agencies should not delay client work until the regulatory and funding mechanisms are fully defined. Starting responsible pilots and capability-building now positions agencies ahead of the compliance curve.

For marketing leaders, Canada’s strategy represents an early signal of a larger pattern: national governments are now quantifying and funding AI adoption targets, creating structured demand that agencies will need to serve at scale.

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