MDSC Statement on the Paris Call for AI Safety and Security
For release November 13, 2026
Canadians impacted by mental illness are using AI tools for information and support. Finding the right help is time-consuming and often involves extensive wait times, especially for northern and remote communities. There are not enough resources locally or they cannot afford the care they need. Many prefer to engage with online tools like AI chatbots because they are available right away whenever they need them. When the right support is too hard to access, those most affected by mental illness have few alternatives.
Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) welcomes Canada’s response to the Call for AI Safety and Security signed in Paris on November 9th, 2026. This call has been signed by Canada, France, Finland, and Bahrain, as well as AI companies Anthropic, Black Forest Labs, Cohere, Domyn, Hugging Face, Microsoft, Mistral AI, OpenAI, Sakana AI, and Synthesia. It has also been signed by four groups, including LawZero, SaferAI, AI Safety Connect, and Ifri. We are glad to see Canada at the table.
The Paris Call emphasizes frontier-model risks, including dangerous misuses and loss of control. This is a good start. We are encouraged by Canada’s involvement in this discussion.
Three commitments in the declaration matter significantly to us:
- Establishing a common framework for the evaluation and risk management of frontier models, building on existing frameworks. MDSC welcomes this commitment and urges that standards include mental health and crisis response safety.
- Affirming the principle of responsibility and accountability. Clearly stating what a model can and cannot do, together with a defined legal responsibility when someone is harmed, is very important to those impacted by mental illness. This allows for an informed choice.
- Commitment to information sharing, reporting, and early warning systems. We urge governments and industry to include people with lived experience when deciding how incidents are defined, reported, and acted on.
We encourage the Government of Canada to:
- Turn these commitments into enforceable safeguards that reflect Canadian privacy laws.
- When creating safety standards, involve and engage health organizations and those with lived experience.
- Demand transparent reporting to the public when AI tools are detrimental in mental health contexts.
MDSC is ready to collaborate with communities, researchers, developers, and the government to ensure AI safety includes the priorities and preferences of those who rely on these tools. Ethically controlled technology can facilitate access to support, but it must be safe first.
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About the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC):
Incorporated in 2001, the Mood Disorders Society of Canada is a national, highly collaborative non-profit organization. MDSC is dedicated to giving people with mood disorders a strong, unified voice, raising public awareness, improving access to quality treatment, and partnering with public and private stakeholders to advance mental health research and support structures nationwide.
Media Contact:
(613) 921-5565
info@mdsc.ca
www.mdsc.ca