'We have a lot of emotion, and AI doesn't have any,' says one MP, while others admit to frequent use of AI
Canadian members of Parliament (MPs) are divided over whether artificial intelligence (AI) belongs in the House of Commons.
This follows a report from The Economist that found as much as 20% of what was said on the floor in Canada in late 2025 was flagged as AI-generated.
The publication ran remarks from Hansard — the official transcript of parliamentary debates.— that were longer than 100 words through the AI detection tool Pangram.
Canada ranked second for AI use among the legislatures compared, behind Australia which was closer to 22%.
Polling for The Economist has found that British voters "strenuously disapprove" of politicians using AI to write, though they are happy for marketers, assistants or even teachers to do so, says the publication.
Some Liberal MPs prefer to speak in their own voice
When asked for a response, Canadian MPs were divided, finds the Canadian Press.
"I think everybody's using artificial intelligence," said Conservative MP Sandra Cobena, adding that her party has no specific rules for AI-written speeches but "it is expected that everybody uses it responsibly."
Fellow Conservative Luc Berthold uses AI for research but said it rarely captures how he wants to express himself. "Quebecers, we have a lot of emotion, and AI doesn't have any," he said.
Liberal MP Greg Fergus called himself "an analog man,” according to the CP report.
"For actually creatively engaging, in a place where we're supposed to be talking about our laws and representing our folks, no, I don't think it's useful," he said.
Liberal MP Ben Carr avoids AI so he can speak in his own voice. He calls writing an entire speech with it "somewhat problematic" but sees no harm in using it to organize ideas, according to the same article.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office says neither the prime minister nor his staff use AI to generate statements or responses delivered in the House.
Meanwhile, the Green Party of Canada said its MPs are independent. Party spokesperson Bianca Crêtes said that their leader, Elizabeth May, is “very concerned” about AI and is “deeply committed to avoiding AI in both her personal life and her role as an MP," according to CP.
A spokesperson for the New Democratic Party (NDP) says the party is developing an AI policy for MP offices with the union representing its parliamentary staff, said the report
Calls for mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) safeguards are intensifying after San Francisco-based OpenAI paused training of its newest models following incidents in which its AI agents went beyond their instructions on U.S. federal government websites.
