Provinces brace for post-Health Accord demographic squeeze
Provincial and territorial governments will need to spend health-care dollars more effectively in the years ahead as more Canadians enter retirement age and the feds look to curb the growth of the Canada Health Transfer. Health-care costs are expected to balloon in the years ahead as more baby boomers enter retirement. The first baby […]
New Health Minister Ambrose seen as a ‘fixer’
Rona Ambrose has a reputation as a fixer within Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Cabinet and the medical community is hoping she’ll continue to play that role now that she’s been appointed federal Health minister. Ms. Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove) has made only a few public appearances and announcements as Minister of Health since being appointed […]
Biotechnology
Government ‘rubber stamping’ GMOs for public consumption, says NDP MP
Canadian consumers are not getting the full story on what’s in the food they eat, says NDP MP Alex Atamanenko, whose private member’s bill would require mandatory labelling of any food that contains genetically modified components. “It’s important for us to know as consumers, if what we buy off the shelf contains GMOs or […]
Biotechnology research: a knowledge economy
Obesity, cancer, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, or the more general stresses of an aging population: no matter which area of concern holds our collective gaze from moment to moment, improving health outcomes and healthcare is the No. 1 challenge for the world’s economy. Canada has the holistic approach and translational […]
Feds must decide: To what extent does Canada want a biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry?
Greg Rickford, Conservative MP for Kenora, Ont., is the new minister of state for Science and Technology. His government must decide to what extent does Canada want a biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry. What industrial policy is the government willing to put forward to support this? Such a policy must include support for basic research and its […]
CETA best fix for Canada’s ‘bad reputation’ with IP protection, say experts
Patent protection for biopharmaceuticals is increasingly under the radar in this country as Canada and the European Union continue to negotiate the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and some observers say the trade agreement is a perfect opportunity for Canada to shake its worsening reputation surrounding intellectual property (IP) protection. “Unfortunately over the […]
Biotech lobby optimistic on intellectual property reforms
Canada’s biotech industry association is siding with pharmaceutical developers on proposed intellectual property reforms related to Canada-EU free trade negotiations, but a leading expert on patent law warns that tougher protections could stifle life science innovation. BIOTECanada president and CEO Andrew Casey told The Hill Times that his organization is “very supportive” of reforms […]
National Research Council has become a ‘1-800 concierge service’
With more than 500 companies operating across Canada, the biotechnology and life sciences sector is a vital and growing part of Canada’s knowledge economy. By developing innovative products used throughout the supply chain, biotech firms are working to transform many other industries as well. Bio-based materials and plastics enable our manufacturers to produce goods […]
Government subsidies for Canadian biofuel industry winding down
The government has recently indicated it will cut support for the biofuel industry—both by capping how much renewable fuel Canadians have in their gas tanks and by cutting funding for prospective biofuel producers—but an industry insider says minimizing government involvement in biofuel production is a positive step, as he’s “wary of technology that requires […]
