Who decided biotech was a technology winner?
The federal government, regardless of political stripe, has a poor record of picking technology winners. Canadians essentially lost tens of billions when the giant white radioactive elephant Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) had most of its assets sold at bargain basement prices to SNC Lavalin. AECL went for $15-million, with the government pledging another […]
Reaching critical mass for commercialization
We have, in Canada, the foundation for a vibrant health sciences industry. This enviable position has come as a direct result of Canada’s strong public sector support of basic health research through such leading organizations as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Genome Canada, and others. There has […]
Potential benefits of biomedicine, genomics-targeted health care to Canadians difficult to overstate
In less than two decades, genomics—the science focused on understanding the genetic makeup (encoded in DNA) of individual life forms—has transformed how biological research is performed in a range of fields across the life sciences. Today, the power and potential applications of genomics in sectors of vital importance to Canada’s economy (agri-food, forestry, fisheries and […]
Canada’s Aging Society
Productivity gains, phased retirement needed in an aging economy
The federal government is bracing for slow long-term economic growth as the number of seniors is expected to swell to 25 per cent of the Canadian population over the next 20 years, but demographic experts say there are still policy tools available to boost economic activity in the years ahead. Bank of Canada […]
Canada could benefit from a Silver Alert program, says NDP MP
Canada could benefit from having a nationally-coordinated program that notifies the public when seniors who suffer from dementia go missing, says NDP MP Irene Mathyssen, her party’s critic for seniors. Though not yet enshrined as policy anywhere north of the American border, this sort of program—officially called the Silver Alert program in the United […]
Canada and an aging society: An opportunity for federal government
Within the next 30 years, Canadians 65 and older will make up nearly one-quarter of the Canadian population, up from 11.6 per cent. Some would call this shift a demographic crisis, and indeed the colloquial terms for this shift, such as the “grey tsunami” portend a sense of doom. To date, the federal government […]
More seniors living at home, policies need to reflect health-care resources needed
More Canadians over 65 are living at home and policies need to reflect the change to ensure that health-care resources are properly allocated, experts say. Using data from censuses of the population and the 2011 General Social Survey, researchers at Statistics Canada published a report in February that documented demographic changes among seniors. They […]
Conservatives ignoring challenges facing Canada’s aging population
Our seniors worked hard to build a society of prosperity, generosity, and sound institutions. Our country owes them a debt of gratitude for what they have given us. We therefore have a responsibility to ensure each senior has a dignified retirement. No one should have to grow old in poverty, insecurity, and isolation. But […]
MP’s push for national dementia strategy supported by Alzheimer’s Society, CARP
A private member’s bill calling on the federal government to engage with the provinces on a national dementia strategy has the backing of the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada and the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, who say that not enough is being done to address the rapidly growing health crisis. NDP MP Claude Gravelle’s […]
