The Canadian AI search landscape in 2026 has stabilized around six primary surfaces, each with distinct user demographics, query patterns, and citation behaviour: **Google AI Overviews.** Highest reach by far — embedded directly in Google search results for an estimated 35–55% of Canadian queries (more for informational queries, less for navigational and transactional). Most Canadian businesses see AI Overviews as the primary AI surface to optimize for, simply because of reach. **ChatGPT (with SearchGPT browsing).** OpenAI's web-browsing capability lets ChatGPT cite live web sources. Heavy users tend to be knowledge workers, students, technical professionals. Canadian B2B SaaS and professional services sites see meaningful referral traffic from ChatGPT citations starting in 2025–2026. **Perplexity.** Citation-first answer engine with prominent source links. Smaller user base than ChatGPT but higher click-through to cited sources — Perplexity users actively click citations to verify answers. Disproportionately important for sites selling research-intensive products. **Claude (Anthropic).** Claude's web access through claude.ai and the Claude API surfaces citations less prominently than Perplexity but more than ChatGPT. Heavy use among Canadian professional services firms, lawyers, and analysts. **Gemini.** Google's standalone AI assistant (separate from AI Overviews in classical search). Tighter integration with Google Workspace makes it disproportionately important for businesses whose customers use Google Workspace. **Microsoft Copilot.** Embedded in Bing search, Edge browser, and Microsoft 365. Reach in Canada is smaller than Google products but meaningful in enterprise and federal government contexts where Microsoft 365 is the standard productivity stack. **Voice assistants.** Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant now route many information queries through their integrated AI engines. Voice-search optimization has effectively converged with AI search optimization. For Canadian businesses, the practical implication is that no single AI search surface dominates the way Google dominated classical search. Optimizing for citation-friendly content (structured directness, named expertise, schema, original data) produces benefits across all surfaces simultaneously, rather than requiring per-surface optimization.