Getting innovation to market, encouraging an innovative ecosystem, culture
(The following is an edited excerpt of a speech by Michelle Rempel, minister of state for Western Economic Diversification in the House on Oct. 28 on Bill C-4, the Budget Implementation Act). It is time for us to take a look at the last five years of our country’s economy. If we rewind […]
Canada needs an innovation agenda directed by knowledge, not mythology
CALGARY, ALTA.—It has become almost a throwaway that innovation is vital for Canada’s future. Indeed, for any Canadian government these days, being against innovation is like being against hockey. But as often as we are told we are good at hockey, which is fairly easy to substantiate, we are told that we are […]
Tapping into Canada’s incredible storehouse of research opens potential
Nearly two years ago, Marie-Claude Héroux and Grégoire Dorval, the founders of Champignons Advitam Inc. in Saint-Ours, Que., were looking for a way to expand the product line of their mushroom business. A chance encounter with Université de Montréal biology professor Mohamed Hijri, an expert in fungi, was the beginning of a partnership that has helped Héroux and […]
Getting it right: government’s role in supporting R&D and commercialization
Canada’s innovation and productivity shortcomings are well-documented and much-lamented. The federal government clearly has a role to play in helping solve these issues, but the challenge is to find the most effective way to direct the government’s major investments in research and development. How can government best support the effective translation of world-class […]
Why Canada’s research excellence hasn’t translated into business innovation
Federal government funding for research has shifted significantly towards industry-academic partnerships at the expense of basic, or curiosity-driven, research. As an MP with three post-secondary institutions in his riding, I hear constantly from affected researchers. Industry-academic partnerships direct research in university and government laboratories to help businesses innovate and compete, but are they the […]
Moore faces high expectations following major ministerial promotion
A poor innovation record and a new consumer-focused government agenda are just a few of the policy challenges facing new Industry Minister James Moore. Mr. Moore (Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam, B.C.) was one of a select few ministers to receive a promotion when Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) announced his Cabinet shuffle earlier […]
Tory rhetoric doesn’t match their record on innovation
Expert analysis continues to stress that weak innovation policies are putting Canada’s future economic growth and productivity at risk. Most recently, the World Economic Forum’s 2013-2014 Global Competitiveness Report underscored how we need to improve our innovation ecosystem and promote private-sector investment in research and development. Despite having advantages when it comes to global […]
Canadian manufacturing at a crossroads
The federal government and industry are banking that the recently-announced Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will help revive Canada’s value-added sector, but critics of the government’s industrial policy say a more coherent strategy is needed to reverse a decade of manufacturing job losses. Whether CETA is going to help, hinder, or maintain the […]
Canada’s innovation record continues to lag in latest World Economic Forum report
Canada’s economic competitiveness has stalled according to the latest rankings by the World Economic Forum, but experts see progress in recent federal policies aimed at bolstering Canadian firms’ access to venture capital and encouraging public-private collaboration. If there was a silver lining in the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Competitiveness rankings, it’s that Canada […]
