Canada has yet to succeed as a scale-up nation
CANADA & THE 21ST CENTURY: PART 3 OF A 6-PART SERIES TORONTO—Canada is clearly succeeding as a start-up nation. New tech companies are being created in record numbers. This is where much innovation happens. But Canada has yet to succeed as a scale-up nation—it is failing to grow many of its start-ups into viable companies […]
Nurturing the next BlackBerry
TORONTO—Building a more innovative country, with good jobs, will depend on close collaboration among business, universities and colleges, and government. This is no time for limited or small government any more than it is a time for risk-averse businesses or academia operating in silos. As the old TV commercial used to put it, “together, we […]
The importance of military soft power
In the late 1980s, Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” to refer to the ability of a country to shape the preferences of others. That is, the ability to shape their long-term attitudes and preferences without using “hard power” tools such as force or coercion. It is why embassies and consulates around the world […]
High schools should teach financial literacy: Chagger
Canada’s small business and tourism minister wants to see more high schools in Canada teaching financial literacy. Minister of Small Business and Tourism Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Ont.) told a May 10 Ottawa panel that she has been crisscrossing the country “encouraging women to take the leap into business.” She said the issue of women’s lack […]
Learning the ropes of House committees
Re: “‘It’s been quite a learning curve,’ rookie Grit MPs want more House committee training, but veteran Liberal, opposition MPs say time’s up,” (The Hill Times, March 28, p. 1). It was with significant interest that I read this article. I was an MLA in the Yukon government from 2002 until 2011 and was a cabinet […]
Universities keen to boost Brazil ties, but there’s a snag
OTTAWA—The Rio Olympics start in just over 100 days. The world’s athletes have long been preparing for Brazil. So have Canada’s universities. Despite recent political and economic turmoil, Brazil remains an important strategic partner for Canada, and our governments have been pursuing cross-sector strengthening of connections. The university sector is leading the way. Last month, […]
Commons Speaker urges Tories to ‘act like adults’ in Anti-Bullying Day clash
House of Commons Speaker Geoff Regan once again admonished Conservative Members of Parliament Wednesday, calling a dozen of them out for “mocking” Liberal MP Francois-Philippe Champagne and urging them to “act like adults.” Mr. Regan (Halifax West, N.S.) accused another crew of Conservatives of bullying Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver Granville, B.C.) while pursuing her over […]
Canada’s innovation challenge: keeping next billion-dollar club at home
OTTAWA—From the moment the Liberal government took office last fall, it left no doubt that innovation was going to be a top priority. Gone was Industry Canada, replaced by the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development, with Navdeep Bains, a close confidant of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, installed as the responsible minister. Last week’s budget […]
Copyright disagreement between educational sector and writers ongoing
Last month, I was asked to testify at the Copyright Board of Canada. Naturally, I went. When Ottawa requests my presence on matters of concern to my industry, I respectfully honour the request. At issue was an ongoing disagreement between Canada’s post-secondary educational sector—our colleges and universities—and our domestic writing and publishing industry. Boiled down, […]
The cause for fairer science, because it’s 2016
OTTAWA—When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his famous remark—”because it’s 2015″—about gender parity in his newly-appointed Cabinet last year, it attracted a lot of attention at home and abroad. He followed it up with a high-level panel on gender parity at Davos where he promoted women’s rights across the spectrum of society, including science and […]
