Inclusive pandemic recovery can’t happen without targeted support for youth
When it comes to our collective pandemic recovery, investing in young Canadians is essential. However, success will depend on our ability to not simply create opportunities, but to create meaningful ones that allow youth to not only recover but to use their unique qualities and perspectives to shape and define what that recovery will look […]
Motion to establish House Science and Research Committee has cross-partisan support
Canada’s former minister of science says there should be a full-fledged House Science and Research Committee in the next Parliament and says it could have played a vital role during the global pandemic. Ms. Duncan (Etobicoke North, Ont.), who served as the federal minister of science and sport in the last Parliament and currently serves […]
Innovation for net zero: governance and policy innovation as important as technological advances
After decades of muddling along, it finally appears that Canada is putting in place the conditions to make headway on the climate file. The federal government is advancing legislation to formalize its net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goal and establish a Net Zero Advisory Body. It has announced its intention to ramp up the […]
Where’s the innovation in our innovation ecosystem?
Recently, the OECD delivered a major policy report to the U.K. Presidency of the G7 Summit that will take place in June. It covered a great deal of ground on how member nations can strive to enhance economic knowledge and societal resilience in the new, post-pandemic world that will emerge. And the next normal will […]
Research on pandemic lessons will get us out of COVID—and the next one
There is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. For post-secondary institutions across Canada, COVID-19 forced our teaching activities to move online, and at the onset of the pandemic, led to the suspension of research activities. Shuttered research labs and the cessation of community-based research in Canada and across the […]
Research & Innovation Policy Briefing
Digital currencies bring new options for financial privacy
Digital money is on the minds of many in Canada. News stories about Bitcoin and other blockchain-based financial technologies are hard to escape. Facebook’s proposed digital currency Libra (recently rebranded as Diem) captured the attention and scrutiny of regulators around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has left some lawmakers pondering the possibility of government-based digital […]
Committee jurisdiction unresolved as MPs await study on privacy bill
Nearly six months after it was first introduced, the federal government’s proposed legislation to reform Canada’s decades-old privacy regime is still waiting to pass second reading and be referred to committee after unanimous consent to do so was twice denied. MPs and experts said the bill is an important piece of legislation that is being […]
Setting a path for the new data commissioner
In the April 2021 federal budget, the Canadian government announced the creation of a data commissioner who will “inform government and business approaches to data-driven issues to help protect people’s personal data and to encourage innovation in the digital marketplace.” The budget allocates $17.6-million over five years and $3.4-million annually afterwards to create the entity. […]
Misplaced priorities: why has the government lost interest in privacy?
Last November, then-innovation, science, and industry minister Navdeep Bains introduced Bill C-11, long overdue privacy reform. The bill appeared to be a top government priority, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasizing that the new law would give Canadians more control over how companies handle their personal information. While the bill is far from perfect, there was no debating that […]
