Canada’s rapidly-increasing expertise, potential in 21st century
When he took office in December, Prime Minister Paul Martin did me the honour of naming me to his new Cabinet as Minister of State for New and Emerging Markets. In addition to the creation–for the first time–of a stand-alone Department of International Trade, the decision to dedicate a Cabinet post to raising Canada’s profile […]
Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canadian economy
On Dec. 12, 2003, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed me to the Privy Council as Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Industry, with special emphasis on Entrepreneurs and New Canadians. The new Privy Council, which for the first time includes Parliamentary Secretaries, has been designed to strengthen the social foundations of Canadian life, to build […]
Martin’s much-hyped ‘innovation agenda’ has been cast aside
The first bad sign for the Martin government concerning productivity and innovation came when the Governor General omitted the paragraphs on science, technology and research in the Throne Speech. The second bad omen is that the much-hyped “Innovation Agenda” which cost millions of dollars to develop and publish, seems to have been cast aside. What […]
‘We will help ensure environmentally friendly, energy efficient, innovative and economically stimulating development’: Scott
History has proven that a country’s ability to innovate directly affects its economic success. Innovation makes businesses more competitive, provides consumers with choices, and provides individuals with new learning opportunities, higher incomes and better jobs. Another cornerstone to our success is our communities — their people, their public infrastructure, housing and land use. Communities are […]
A national science adviser for Canada
Like many of my colleagues in government and university circles, I have often felt over the years that Canada would be well-served by the appointment of a national science adviser who would not only articulate the perspective of science within the Canadian government, but also advance Canadian S&T interests internationally. Such positions have long existed […]
‘Commercialization gap’ will require more dollars: Fontana
The Paul Martin government is working on possibly creating a new source of funding or seed money to help Canadian businesses better market their research ideas, says the Prime Minister’s new Parliamentary secretary on science and small business. Liberal MP Joe Fontana (London North Centre, Ont.) says it’s his new job to create […]
Building a healthy innovation system
Canadians expect Health Canada to deliver on its day-to-day responsibilities, like watching for and responding to global challenges like SARS, West Nile virus and the avian flu; developing programs to combat smoking, diabetes, cancer, obesity and a range of other threats to our well-being, and regulating the safety of foods, drugs, medical devices and other […]
APF promised to bring in financial stability
PARLIAMENT HILL–The Agriculture Policy Framework (APF) announced by the federal government on June 20 2002, promised to bring financial stability to Canada’s agriculture industry. However, there are no stakeholders who support the program and some provincial leaders have not signed on. The current set of safety net programs have expired and federal Agriculture Minister Lyle […]
WTO deadline missed
PARLIAMENT HILL–On March 31, a very important deadline in the Doha Development Round international trade negotiations was missed. That was the day when WTO-member countries were to have agreed on the basic framework, or modalities, for an agreement on agriculture. For most WTO member countries, including developing and least developed nations, agriculture is the most […]
Free and fair trade is the answer
PARLIAMENT HILL–Changes in the world’s trading practices are a hot topic of discussion on the world stage. The goal of these talks is to increase trade liberalization to provide all players on the world market equal opportunity and increased prosperity. Liberalization of trade is in Canada’s national interest. Trade is an essential component to a […]
