To diffuse technology or not to diffuse: that’s the question
Let me give you a choice between two compelling narratives on the topic of diffusion—efforts to make technologies available by means of government policies. The first is an argument for the broad diffusion of biotechnologies, including synthetic biology and CRISPR (a genome editing tool). The other is an argument for a slow-down or clamp-down. You be […]
True North and true Nordic, new opportunities for global solutions
This fall, a Nordic studies program opens at the prestigious Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. The program will cover politics, the economy, society, culture, international relations, and history of the Nordic region. The program will be open to undergraduate and graduate students. The initiative is supported by the Nordic Council […]
Schools ought to follow court decision on copyright
Re: “We shouldn’t be paying more for Canadian content,” (The Hill Times, Aug. 14, p. 16). Since the Federal Court of Canada’s decision on Access Copyright v. York University last month, several universities across the country have largely disregarded the court’s guidance, just as Gerald Beasley does in his op-ed. This is odd, since many […]
Kids everywhere deserve a good start at life
I recently witnessed a baby being completely calmed down by the simple act of breastfeeding. I was on a plane soaring towards our cruising altitude of 28,000 feet and of course this was wreaking havoc on that small child’s eardrums. While the sucking relieved the pressure on her ears, it also provided deep comfort. It […]
Foreign aid leadership is questionable without money to back it up
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the Liberal government’s new feminist international assistance policy last week. It is a bold approach that will ensure our international assistance program looks at potential partners and recipients through a feminist lens. Minister Bibeau states that Canada will work toward increasing funding of local women’s organizations, with a view to […]
Girls everywhere should have access to quality education
I have a very clear memory of going with my father to register for Grade One. I can still feel his big paw wrapped around my little hand as we approached a nun sitting at a desk. She was to be my teacher and had taught my older sister a year earlier. She asked me […]
Universities, industry, and research say substantial investments in research needed on regular basis
Post-secondary institutions and industry advocates are applauding the Trudeau government for rolling out millions in new funding for research since assuming office but say robust investments and other inducements are needed on a regular basis to ensure Canadian schools and businesses remain competitive on the global stage. In the 2016 budget, the Trudeau government earmarked […]
Universities and the innovation ecosystem
Innovation has been stated as an objective of public policies for many decades now, though different governments have made it more or less of a priority in their actions. Universities are always a core component of government mandates, or strategies for innovation, and for good reason. They are the primary location for the creation of […]
The aggrieved and the beguiled: experts and evidence in troubled times
Is it not a curious fact that in a world steeped in irrational hatreds which threaten civilization itself, men and women—old and young—detach themselves wholly or partly from the angry current of daily life to devote themselves to the cultivation of beauty, to the extension of knowledge, to the cure of disease, to the amelioration […]
Innovation agenda about creating good-paying jobs, says Bains
For Navdeep Bains, the goal is simple. Whether it’s superclusters, skills upgrading, or university research, the minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development says the Trudeau government’s innovation-steered investments are being trotted out to accomplish one immensely important task—to create jobs, and good-paying, middle-class supporting jobs, at that. And while that may be easier said […]
