Top 10 Threats to Canada Include Blurring of Truth, Powerful Billionaires, and Ecosystem Collapse: Federal Panel

Top 10 Threats to Canada Include Blurring of Truth, Powerful Billionaires, and Ecosystem Collapse: Federal Panel
The top societal disruptions picked by Policy Horizons Canada are listed in its report "Disruptions on the Horizon." Policy Horizons Canada/Screenshot
Adam Brown
Updated:
0:00

Truth could become indistinguishable from lies in 2.5 years, cyberattacks could disable critical infrastructure in four years, billionaires could be running the world in 4.5 years, and vital natural resources could run short in eight years, according to a federal panel tasked with imagining 35 “plausible” catastrophes.

The list of threats was created by federal policy advisory body Policy Horizons Canada, which ranked the disasters by potential impact and timelines. Threats that made the top-10 ranking included ecosystem collapse, artificial intelligence run amok, health-care system collapse, a breakdown of democratic systems, overwhelmed emergency response, and widespread downward mobility.