The most valuable takeaway from this under-the-radar gathering wasn’t the guest list… It was the resource everyone kept pointing to.
By Antonio Aragón
Until last week, I’d never heard of The Dock (un)conference.
Not sure most Canadians know about it.
This is an invitation-only gathering that brought together Prime Minister Mark Carney, technology entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, business leaders and policymakers to solve the world’s problems.
So I decided to look beyond the guest list and discovered this is where Canada’s first-ever Investment Summit (Toronto, September 14-15, 2026) was conceived and where the earliest ideas of the country’s AI strategy first took place.
AI on the menu? No surprise.
But not as the latest technology trend or another discussion about Canada’s AI champions: Cohere, Vector Institute and Waabi . The conversation was actually about Canada’s economic future. This means productivity, competitiveness, talent and education. Ultimately, about where the nation’s next wave of prosperity will come from.
For generations, Canada’s wealth has been built on natural resources: Oil, gas, mining, forestry and agriculture. Those industries remain essential and will continue to be.
But another resource is becoming just as strategic: human intelligence.
That’s why AI isn’t simply a technology story. It’s a higher education story. It’s a workforce story. It’s an immigration story. And it’s a leadership story.
If Artificial Intelligence changes the nature of work, colleges and universities can no longer focus solely on preparing students for today’s jobs the way they have been. They must prepare graduates who can think critically, adapt continuously, collaborate across disciplines AND, especially, about how to use AI as a tool rather than compete against it.
Likewise, employers will increasingly compete not just for those with experience, but for people who know how to combine human judgment with artificial intelligence.
Canada has an opportunity.
We already produce world-class research, attract global talent and have internationally respected educational institutions. The challenge is whether we can transform those strengths into globally competitive companies, stronger productivity and long-term economic growth.
Perhaps that’s why The Dock matters.
Not because it takes place in Canada’s cottage country. Not even because of who attends.
But because the conversations happening here offer a glimpse of the questions Canada’s leaders believe matter most.
If AI, talent and education are now sharing the agenda with energy and natural resources as part of economic policy, perhaps Canada’s next competitive advantage won’t simply be what we take from the ground.
It will be what we develop in our people.
The Dock (un) conference was held July 13–17, 2026, in Muskoka, Ontario. Canada’s Investment Summit will take place in Toronto September 14-15, 2026.
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