Canada has gone from ‘leader’ to ‘backwater’ in global digital economy competitiveness, say critics
Industry Minister Tony Clement has said that by 2020, Canada will boast a “globally competitive digital economy.” While one policy analyst says it’s possible, opposition critics are wondering why Canada isn’t becoming more competitive sooner. The year “2020 is way too late. We’ve gone from being a leader to basically being a backwater, and for […]
Canada at ‘competitive disadvantage’ in funding innovation, say industry stakeholders
Changes to Canada’s tax regime are working to attract flagging foreign investment to Canadian innovation, but firms are still having a hard time accessing funds for their new ideas, say business and industry insiders. “We have a good research base in this country. When you have the resources to drive the research you can do […]
Funding for innovation most likely to be cut in next budget, say opposition MPs
With the government’s commitment to slay the now estimated $27.4-billion budget deficit, opposition MPs say “there’s no doubt” that funding for innovation will be cut in the upcoming March budget. “The government has kind of indicated that they have to cut right across the board, and I imagine since there is not specific long term […]
On improving dialogues between scientific illiterate and politically clueless
GATINEAU, QUE.—The interactions between politicians and scientists are undergoing more scrutiny these days. And well they should as science underpins much of what constitutes public policy. It is also a two-way street. Science needs to better grasp the oft-complex context behind policy and the polity needs to better understand the growing knowledge agenda. Thirty years […]
Next steps toward a more innovative Canada
Canada is poised to raise its innovation game, a job that calls for a multi-faceted approach merging the creativity and cooperation of industry, government, academia, and all other players. Last October, the Coalition for Action on Innovation in Canada (CAIC) released its report, “An Action Plan For Prosperity,” which offered a series of practical recommendations […]
Innovation: Canada’s entrepreneurs must show us how
Canada’s economic prosperity depends on us becoming a more innovative and productive nation. Innovation makes businesses and societies more competitive and prosperous. But Canada is weak in innovation. Legions of studies have investigated the issue, including a February 2010 Conference Board of Canada report that assigned the country a “D” for innovation and ranked it […]
Time to build next generation of health care for Canadians
Canada’s universal public health-care system has been the pride of our country for many years. Since its introduction in Saskatchewan by former NDP leader Tommy Douglas, it has become the most important component of our social support network. It is the tool with which we look after one another, and is the great equalizer. However, […]
Canada needs a National Pharmaceuticals Strategy and a Family Care Plan to support home caregivers
Stephen Harper is continuing his attack on our health-care system. In a recent interview with Postmedia News, he once again made it clear that he believes that “the provinces are responsible for the management of our health-care system.” On Monday, Jan. 31, during Question Period, Mr. Harper stated that “We operate in a federal system […]
If Sidney Crosby isn’t immune, neither are Canada’s youth
Our nation has a storied history of amateur sporting achievements, with the record breaking gold medal performance by Canada’s athletes at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics serving as a unifying force in fostering the Canadian national identity. For years to come, Canadians across the country will remember where they were when Sidney Crosby scored the “Golden […]
Here’s a prescription for emergency room overcrowding
Fifty two per cent of Canadians agree that our health-care system is broken and needs to undergo fundamental change if it is going to meet our needs in the future. One essential change must be reducing the back-logs in Canadian emergency rooms. As a physician who practised emergency medicine, most of the beds in my […]
