Housing isn’t the only shortage facing the federal government these days: It turns out there are about as many judges in Canada as there are apartments for under $1,500. 

What happened: Ottawa has been ordered to start appointing judges across the country more quickly, according to the Toronto Star. The ruling found that vacant judicial slots have backlogged the legal system, in some cases leading to criminal cases being tossed out. 

The government might need to step up its game if Canadian startups are going to keep up in the AI race.

What happened: Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne signed a letter of intent with Nvidia. Details have not been released, but Champagne said in an X post that the government and chip maker would “explore opportunities” to create AI computing power in Canada.

The federal government’s plan to be a first buyer for Canadian startups is falling short of its goals.

Canada’s relationship with India is getting icier than a car windshield post-snowstorm. 

What happened: For the first time, India has been publicly named as a potential foreign meddler in Canadian politics — with federal investigators now looking into the government's possible interference in the past two Canadian federal elections, according to Bloomberg.

Two people who seem eager to understand AI and how it will impact their work: Peak Tech readers, and Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne.

What happened: The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) released a new strategic plan, laying out its priorities for the next five years, and a key theme is improving the OPC’s understanding of emerging technologies like AI. The intention is to not only help the OPC better respond to the concerns of Canadians, but also provide better guidance to ensure privacy is considered as tech is developed — a framework known as privacy by design.

Canadian researchers in some of the most innovative fields are going to face greater government scrutiny over who they work with.

What happened: The federal government released a list of over 100 schools and research organizations from China, Russia, and Iran that it says pose a risk to national security. It also defined 11 “sensitive” research areas representing leading-edge and disruptive technologies that may also interest those “seeking to misappropriate Canada’s technological advantages.”

A little over a year after Canada’s big “crackdown” on Chinese investment in mining, companies are still lining up to pour money into the sector. 

What happened: Chinese mining giant, Zijin, plans to invest $130 million for a 15% stake in Vancouver-based critical minerals company Solaris Resources, the latest in a string of proposed investments by China-based firms into Canada’s critical minerals industry. 

The new space race is turning into a David versus Goliath battle in Ontario.

What happened: The Government of Ontario issued a request for proposals for a company to provide high-speed internet to rural areas using satellites. Two companies were pre-qualified to submit: SpaceX and New Brunswick-based rural internet provider Xplore.

Like a pair of bickering roommates, Canada and the U.S. are arguing over shelf space… continental shelf space, that is.

Driving the news: The U.S. filed claims to a portion of the Arctic seafloor that Canada has also laid claim to. The two countries have agreed to work together to settle the dispute by following the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea — a process that will take several years. 

What do Canada’s public sector and Inter Miami’s fan base have in common? 

Both got much bigger in 2023.