Canadian agricultural policy: why supply management?
OTTAWA—In Canada and in other countries, the markets for agricultural products are characterized by considerable instability due to factors such as unpredictable weather, technological advances, and changing demands. This poses an immense challenge to agricultural producers who often face fluctuations in prices that subsequently result in uncertain incomes. Supply management systems were established in Canada […]
Want to stop populism? Try universal basic income
LONDON, U.K.—There’s a new idea that might be the solution to runaway populism. Well, it’s not that new, really—it has been kicking around in left-wing circles for a least a quarter-century—but it has suddenly gone mainstream. It’s called universal basic income (UBI), and pilot programs to see if it really works in practice are being […]
Canada’s supply-management system ‘evolving’
While new U.S. President Donald Trump may be getting pressure from American dairy producers to pry open Canada’s supply-management system, many say it’s unlikely this protectionist leader will be looking seriously at the issue, though the system is likely to change any way. “Canada’s existing and soon-to-be-expanded protectionist policies are intentionally designed to block imports […]
Observers urge care in earmarking funds for innovation clusters
People who study innovation appear cautiously optimistic the government’s plan to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into innovation networks and clusters will succeed, but they warn the devil’s in the details. In its 2016 budget, the federal government promised up to $800-million over four years, starting in 2017-18, to boost innovation networks and clusters. […]
Canada’s innovation agenda: can moonshots work?
“Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything.” —Paul Krugman, The Age of Diminishing Expectations (1994) It is not worth the ink to repeat the ways in which Canada has fallen behind in productivity. We can recite the stats of how we lag compared to other countries, how our research and […]
Ottawa must completely redraft its innovation strategy
Multinational corporations tend to concentrate their strategic activities, including research and development (R&D), at or near the head office rather than in their foreign subsidiaries. Since Canada’s economy relies mostly on local branches of foreign corporations, mostly American, structural reasons explain why Canada has one of OECD’s worst records in terms of R&D intensity. In […]
The Top 100: Navdeep Bains, the ‘minister of everything’
For Navdeep Bains, the minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, or, “the minister of everything,” as some say, the working relationships he has been cultivating are the beginning and the end of his political power and influence this year. It is expected that in 2017, Bains will roll out the wide-spanning innovation agenda the Liberals see […]
Poor IP rights protections hurt patients, economy
VANCOUVER, B.C. / Troy Media/ – As the old adage states, “You’ll be known by the company you keep.” As such, the implications for Canada’s biopharmaceutical sector are rather dismal. While an extensive body of evidence demonstrates that patents and other intellectual property protections are critical to the future of innovation and the development of […]
Ottawa must be prepared to spend, back programs to foster Canadian talent: advocates
The federal government must complement investments in skills training with better labour market information and other tools to ensure Canadians can secure lucrative jobs in the modern economy, according to advocates. Namir Anani, president and CEO of the Information and Communications Technology Council, a self-described national centre of expertise for the digital economy, said that while Canada has […]
From ‘InnovAction’ to innovation, it’s time to get serious
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Mulroney government’s Canadian Strategy for Science and Technology (InnovAction), the 15th anniversary of the Chrétien government’s two-pronged innovation strategy, and the 10th anniversary of the Harper regime’s Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage. And lo and behold, as if right on cue, comes another agenda—this one a summary of […]
