Canada is poised to lead the next wave of economic growth driven by artificial intelligence, according to a new report commissioned by Meta and conducted by the Linux Foundation. The research underscores Canada’s strong foundation in AI research, talent, and public policy, and highlights how the country is uniquely positioned to turn that advantage into measurable economic gains, productivity improvements, and new job creation over the coming decade. The report projects that generative AI alone could boost worker productivity by 8% and generate more than 35,000 innovation-driven jobs within the next five years. By 2035, AI could contribute up to 9% to Canada’s GDP, adding an estimated $180 billion annually by 2030. These gains hinge on scaling AI adoption beyond current pilot programs and embedding the technology into everyday business operations across sectors. A key enabler of this transformation is open source AI. The report finds that open models significantly lower barriers to entry, reduce costs, accelerate experimentation, and allow for greater customization—making large-scale AI adoption more feasible, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Nearly 90% of Canadian organizations currently using AI report no job losses, and the shift is expected to create higher-value roles as work evolves toward more strategic, creative, and technical tasks. Today, 26% of Canadian organizations have fully implemented AI, indicating substantial room for growth. The report emphasizes that the focus must now shift from research and development to real-world deployment. Open source AI is seen as a critical catalyst, helping businesses move quickly from testing to production, while also enabling faster innovation and stronger early-stage valuations for Canadian startups. The findings highlight successful AI integration across diverse industries, including financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, agriculture, and the startup ecosystem. Companies are leveraging open source models to cut costs, scale operations more rapidly, and build competitive advantages. The report calls on Canada to prioritize adoption as a path to commercialization. It recommends expanding access to open source tools, investing in workforce training with practical AI skills, and bridging the gap between publicly funded research and market-ready products. By making AI more affordable, transparent, and adaptable to local needs, Canada can unlock its full economic potential and ensure that the benefits of AI are widely shared across the economy.