Canadians fear AI will render their jobs obsolete: poll
A federal think tank forewarned AI could make Canada socially immobile by 2040.
Canadians currently view AI adoption with mixed emotions—anxiety, curiosity, and cautious optimism. From July 10 to 15, 2025, Abacus Data surveyed 1,915 Canadian adults to understand how they perceive the impact of AI on their jobs and careers.
“The rise of AI in Canada is more than just a technological shift – it’s a moment of change for our workforce, our economy, and how secure Canadians feel about the future,” Abacus said in an August 1 press release.
The workforce is divided on AI's impact and their preparedness for future changes, according to the new poll. “Many are already feeling anxious about what AI could mean for their jobs and livelihoods, and those concerns are shaping conversations about work, learning, and trust in our institutions.”
A federal think tank forewarned AI could make Canada socially immobile by 2040. It warns of a nation divided by digital and physical gates. “The value of human labour has shrunk because of AI,” reads the report, Future Lives: Social Mobility in Question.
Even post-secondary education, once a ladder to success, is depicted as an elite club. “Tuition and housing costs exclude all but the wealthy… Those who do [attend] see it less as a path to a successful career than a way to reinforce their membership in the ‘elite’.”
Abacus poll results reflect those sentiments, noting unaddressed AI concerns risk slowing progress and widening divisions.
Trudeau says governments can't let AI push "our citizens further towards cynicism, populism, hopelessness and hatred."
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 10, 2025
He adds that leaders can't let this tech "pollute social media with empty slop and cunning disinformation." pic.twitter.com/HqUmSnKApK
Canadians generally express pessimism regarding the broader impact of AI, with 62% anticipating job losses rather than creation. Only 11% hold an opposing view.
A striking seven in ten employed Canadians fear that AI will render jobs in their industries obsolete, and half of these individuals feel unprepared for such a shift.
Only 36% of employed Canadians report employer-provided AI training, leaving most to adapt independently, according to Abacus. This lack of support could exacerbate the future skills gap.
Readiness also follows demographic lines. Younger adults and men feel more prepared, while older Canadians and women are less confident.
Francis Bilodeau, the Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, met with Brookfield's Frank McKenna and Sam Pollock last year to discuss AI. Prime Minister Carney met with Pollock for undisclosed talks on May 6.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) July 28, 2025
READ MORE: https://t.co/yMA1KzPNpU pic.twitter.com/PX2LXHCmLw
Last year, Brookfield's Frank McKenna and Sam Pollock met with the Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation to discuss digital infrastructure and government support for Canada's industrial AI. This meeting, reported by the Investigative Journalism Foundation, involved discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney's former company.
Carney, since taking office, has prioritized Canada's AI policy, appointing Evan Solomon as the first federal minister for the portfolio and committing to increased AI adoption across public and private sectors.
Notably, his election pledges on AI conveniently align with major Brookfield investments, including Compass Data Centers and Data4, all of which financially benefit him.
Brookfield Asset Management earlier expressed interest in continuing to finance AI infrastructure initiatives. It is unknown if AI was discussed during Pollock's May 6 meeting with Prime Minister Carney.
What's going on with our federation? pic.twitter.com/aOQDyVQxZK
— Efrain Flores Monsanto 🇨🇦🚛 (@efloresmonsanto) May 13, 2025
Recent ethics disclosures show Carney must recuse himself from decisions involving approximately 100 companies due to conflicts of interest. That includes a record 80 corporate conflicts from his prior role with Brookfield, according to Blacklock’s.
“Canada’s Prime Minister cannot be trusted to make decisions on … AI when his decisions, or those of his Ministers and civil servants, could boost his own future payouts from Brookfield,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters July 14.
Carney holds nearly $10 million in unexercised Brookfield Asset Management stock options as of December 31.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Peter Bradley commented 2025-08-05 22:23:07 -0400In addition to artificial intelligence, we also need to program artificial honesty, artificial respect, artificial patience, artificial fairness, artificial inquisitiveness and artificial humbleness. Until then, AI should be relegated to menial tasks.
Second, Canadians were thinking in the sixties that soon, computers would do all their work, and thus they’d have many long, long weekends. How did that turn out, you ask? So if you think AI will make your job redundant, think again, with all the honesty and diligence you can muster. Such virtues will be in demand until computers attain wisdom. And it won’t be soon. -
Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-08-05 21:11:05 -0400We recently had an example where someone’s job was done with AI. Justin Trudeau acted as if whatever intelligence he displayed was artificial.
