Innovation procurement programs looking to lure home-grown products
Yad Garcha, CEO of Bionic Power, understands why most small business owners are wary of doing business with the federal government, calling the process bureaucratic, but for him government procurement was always the end goal. The Vancouver-based Bionic Power was recently awarded a contract for $1.1-million for its Knee Based Energy Harvester through the Build in […]
Use technology, take risks to advance Canadian health care, say innovators
It all started when the two of us sat down over a cup of coffee. As a family physician and endocrinologist, we stand on opposite sides of a large chasm called patient wait times, and we both started seeing more and more of our patients getting swallowed up by this abyss. In her role as […]
Innovation
Canada should heed lessons from Israel to become global innovation leader
Canada is by no means alone in seeking to boost innovation. But our country does have undeniable and enviable—potential to be a true global leader in research, development, and entrepreneurial thinking. To realize that potential, we need to invest in all aspects of innovation, including fundamental research. We also need to take every opportunity to […]
Why this backbench MP is lobbied more than most ministers
Canada’s most-lobbied backbench MP in 2017, Francis Drouin, is a “rising star” who’s developed a reputation as a rural champion, say lobbyists. Mr. Drouin’s 136 communications posted to the lobbyist registry in 2017 are connected to agriculture, tied to his work on the House Agriculture Committee and the interests of his Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Ont., constituents. A […]
Health Canada adding staff, launches new branch, in preparation for legal pot
Health Canada is taking the lead on the marijuana file in Ottawa in advance of the summer deadline for legalization, overseeing product licensing and regulations, quality monitoring, health research, and public education. In preparation, the department is transforming significantly, according to experts and a former Liberal health minister, adding new inspectors and staff to deal with backlogged licensing […]
Canada should be prepared to walk away from NAFTA if it can’t secure the best deal for Canadians
Free trade represents one of those rare areas where the majority of economists agree: when structured properly, significant benefits can accrue to all countries involved. NAFTA is a great example of such an agreement. It was implemented in 1994 and for the past 23 years, it has delivered increased prosperity and employment to Canadians, Americans, and […]
Conservatives willing to fight for NAFTA abroad, but Trudeau needs to prove he has a plan at home
The following is an edited excerpt from remarks Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer delivered to the Mississauga Board of Trade on Jan. 12. Negotiations over the future of NAFTA are still underway. And they’re not going well. The government is signaling they expect the U.S. to try to pull out of the deal. We have […]
Poison pills and protectionism: negotiators still face long list of issues in next NAFTA round
Last week, trade observers could be forgiven for feeling whiplash after reports swung from Canadian advisers expecting an imminent United States withdrawal from NAFTA to U.S. President Donald Trump musing negotiations could continue past Mexico’s July presidential election. The fifth round of negotiations was supposed to be a ministerial meeting, but was a dialled back […]
NAFTA leaves workers coming up short
While NAFTA talks continue in Ottawa, very little focuses on its impacts on working people. Before committing to any agreement, we need to ensure that Canadians’ lives and our communities have been improved by this trade relationship. Twenty-three years ago when NAFTA was originally negotiated by the Mulroney Conservatives, they tried to sell Canadian workers […]
