This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney took centre stage at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, where he promoted Canada as a global partner in critical minerals, AI, and green energy. But while Canada positioned itself as an innovation hub abroad, the conversation at home revealed mounting pressures from healthcare shortages and policy ambiguity to the rising urgency of AI regulation.
Canada Courts Global Partners at G20 Summit While Domestic Challenges Mount
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s debut at the G20 summit underscored a vision of Canada as a high-value partner for trade and investment. Carney concluded his first G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, advancing Canada’s trade and investment partnerships. He held discussions on a Canada-South Africa Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, and deeper CPTPP-EU economic integration.
He highlighted Canada’s strengths in critical minerals, energy, AI, and the agri-food sector. Carney also made financial pledges, including $1 billion to the Global Fund, and reiterated support for Ukraine. These efforts aim to diversify trade, attract investment, and unleash $1 trillion in economic growth over the next five years.
Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to resume negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement covering goods, services, investment, agriculture, digital trade, labour mobility, and sustainable development, aiming to double bilateral trade to US$50 billion by 2030 while cooperating on AI and advanced technologies, with Carney planning a visit to India in early 2026.
Canada, Australia, and India launched the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership to strengthen cooperation on green energy, resilient supply chains, critical minerals, and AI, with officials convening in early 2026 to advance the initiative.
Carney emphasized multilateral cooperation and trade diversification at the G20 summit, invoking Nelson Mandela’s legacy to frame Canada’s approach amid global volatility.
However, Carney also shared that Canada is no longer framing its foreign policy as “feminist.” While gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights remain priorities, some officials and advocates say the reframing marks a rhetorical shift that could diminish Canada’s global leadership in progressive diplomacy.
Back home, Health Minister Marjorie Michel said that the independent panel’s report is “non-binding” for the Liberal government. Michel added that the committee’s recommendations are under review and clarified that she is working with provincial and territorial health ministers to “build the strongest partnership” for Canadians’ health.
The committee, chaired by Dr. Navindra Persaud, advocated for a universal, single-payer Pharmacare that provides free access to essential medicines.
Provincial healthcare systems also face mounting stress. More reports from Quebec highlighted concerns raised by the opposition regarding underfunding of hospitals and healthcare services. One member underscored that the Skills Development Fund’s $2.5 billion could have been invested in hospitals, highlighting staffing shortages and infrastructure needs. Moreover, the Premier and ministers defended their investments and policies, citing economic growth, apprenticeships, and infrastructure projects including new hospitals and long-term care homes being built or planned, such as a $50 million investment for a new hospital in Kenora and funding for elderly care redevelopment.
In Nova Scotia, Dr. Kirk Magee, an emergency physician at the Halifax Infirmary, highlighted the intense pressure on the province’s health system, pointing out severe overcrowding in emergency rooms due to a shortage of available hospital beds. Patients are subject to extended waiting periods, as healthcare workers are forced to make challenging decisions on prioritizing care with limited resources.
Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island also faced challenges such as long wait times, reliance on emergency rooms for routine care, and obstacles in obtaining specialized medications like ADHD treatments without a family doctor. The government acknowledged the workforce shortage in healthcare and discussed measures underway, including expanding nursing programs.
Canada’s AI Regulation Plans Evolve as Alberta Explores AI-Written Legislation
A new wave of concern over AI chatbot safety prompted lawmakers and advocates to call for regulatory action and urged the federal government to regulate AI chatbots in the upcoming online safety bill, citing risks of harmful advice to children, including guidance on suicide, sexual content, and reinforcement of dangerous behaviour. Meta and OpenAI are introducing controls to limit teen interactions with AI, while the government plans to reintroduce the bill early next year with measures to ensure platform accountability and child safety.
The House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) held a meeting on November 26, 2025, to examine challenges posed by artificial intelligence and its regulation, with witnesses including Antoine Guilmain of Gowling WLG and Malo Bourgon of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute.
In an opinion column, Rebecca Bailey and Sarah Hashem argued that Canada’s federal budget overlooks a major opportunity to develop AI talent, particularly by not investing in women who could play a transformative role in the country’s AI growth. They warn that excluding women from AI planning risks slowing national adoption and limits Canada’s ability to leverage ethical judgment and business insight alongside technical advancements.
Meanwhile, Alberta Service Minister Dale Nally announced that the province plans to use AI to draft the Alberta Whisky Act, making it the first jurisdiction in Canada to employ artificial intelligence for legislative creation, with the draft to be vetted for checks and balances before introduction.
New Medicare negotiated drug prices aim to reduce costs for millions of patients
A recent analysis reported that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pilot price-reduction program for the Medicaid GENEROUS Model might not lower drug prices for states. The analysis argued that many state Medicaid programs already pay lower-than-typical drug prices, meaning the new discounted rates might not actually be lower than current prices.
The CMS announced negotiated prices for 15 high-cost drugs under Medicare, including three GLP-1 medications from Novo Nordisk, such as Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy. These new negotiated prices are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027, and are estimated to save about $685 million USD in out-of-pocket costs once implemented.
Additionally, the price reductions represent roughly a 44% cut compared with 2024 list prices, which CMS estimated would have saved about $12 billion USD if they had been in place in 2024. Other drugs on the list cover cancer, respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), gastrointestinal conditions, and other ailments.
Analysts had previously estimated that these price cuts would cause a modest decrease in global sales. Meanwhile, other drugmakers with medicines on the list are expected to face significant but anticipated financial impacts.
Despite the announced benefits, experts noted that it is unclear how the negotiated prices under the Most Favoured Nation and the Inflation Reduction Act will interact.
U.S. Representative John B. Larson applauded the latest round of negotiated drug-price reductions under Medicare, calling it a milestone that could save seniors billions and lower out-of-pocket costs for many Americans. Larson said the savings will benefit millions of seniors and their families, particularly those facing the burden of costly chronic disease treatments.
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