Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, the Honourable Evan Solomon, will take the stage at Opening Night of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 on Monday, May 11, for a high-level discussion on Canada’s AI strategy, trusted technology, sovereign innovation, and the future of responsible AI adoption.

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Minister Solomon will appear alongside Joelle Pineau for a featured session titled “AI for All: Canada’s AI Moment,” exploring how Canada is positioning itself as a global AI leader through investment in innovation, talent development, enterprise adoption, and international partnerships.

The conversation comes as Canada accelerates its national AI agenda through the government’s AI for All strategy, designed to strengthen domestic AI capabilities while ensuring businesses, workers, and communities can benefit from the technology responsibly and securely.

Appointed by Prime Minister Mark Carney in May 2025 as Canada’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Minister Solomon has been tasked with advancing the country’s AI competitiveness, supporting Canadian technology companies, expanding sovereign digital infrastructure, and shaping governance frameworks for emerging technologies.

Joining Minister Solomon onstage will be Pineau, Chief AI Officer of Cohere, the Canadian-founded enterprise AI company backed by Nvidia, AMD, and Salesforce. Founded in 2019, Cohere surpassed US$240 million in annual recurring revenue in 2025 as it strengthened its position in the global race against OpenAI and Anthropic.

The session will headline Opening Night of the second edition of Web Summit Vancouver 2026, taking place at the Vancouver Convention Centre from May 11–14.

The event is expected to attract more than 20,000 founders, investors, startups, policymakers, and media representatives, marking a significant increase from the 15,000 attendees recorded during the inaugural Vancouver edition in 2025.

More than 1,500 startups from around the world are expected to participate this year, alongside over 700 investors and partners from major global firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark, and Khosla Ventures.

Minister Solomon and Pineau will join a broader lineup of Canadian political and technology leaders, including David Eby, Brenda Bailey, and Ken Sim, for discussions focused on Canada’s evolving technology economy amid shifting geopolitical and digital transformation trends.

The conference will also feature appearances from Gabor Maté, Max Levchin, Michelle Grady, Kelly Day, Sam Register, Hasan Piker, Andrew McKechnie, and Jonathan Knight.