AI will not kill jobs, if governed well: Ontario Minister Victor Fedeli

As artificial intelligence reshapes economies, jobs, and geopolitics, governments face growing pressure to balance innovation with responsibility.

Speaking during The Big AI Shift, Victor Anthony Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, said early investments in talent and transparency have positioned the Canadian province as a global AI leader.

“Toronto, Ontario, Canada is widely considered the birthplace of AI,” Fedeli said, crediting decades of research led by Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton and institutions such as the Vector Institute. Ontario, he noted, produces over 110,000 STEM graduates annually and added nearly 17,000 AI workers last year alone.

Fedeli stressed that education is the foundation of the AI transition. “If you’re worried about losing jobs to AI, you better lean into it,” he said, arguing that AI is transforming work across sectors rather than eliminating employment outright.

Raising concerns about inclusion, Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief of the India Today Group, questioned how unskilled workers can be protected as automation accelerates. Fedeli pointed to Ontario’s large-scale retraining programmes and job creation efforts.

On regulation, Fedeli emphasised public trust and data privacy. “We don’t have the social licence to monetise health data,” he said, adding that transparency must guide government use of AI.

Despite geopolitical challenges, Fedeli reaffirmed strong India–Canada ties. “India is a reliable partner to Ontario and to Canada. Full stop,” he said.