Carbon pricing driving innovation in British Columbia and Alberta
The federal government says carbon pricing is off the table, but if it changes its mind it can look to Canada’s western-most provinces for inspiration. Alberta has had a carbon tax in place since 2007, while British Columbia has been taxing emissions since 2008, and there are signs that the programs are promoting innovation […]
Industry-led R&D a top priority in feds’ five-year agriculture plan
Agriculture Canada is partnering with the provinces and territories to invest $3-billion in agricultural innovation over the next five years, but opposition parties are raising concerns that the funding comes at the expense of business risk management programs that protect farmers in bad years. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) told The Hill Times […]
Digital media industry looks to leverage federal support into international advantage
Canada’s digital media industry is hoping that with a little support from the federal government it will be able to solidify the country’s position as a worldwide hub for digital media innovation. “We think that Canada is well-poised to stake a massive claim as a key digital entertainment cluster,” Canadian Film Centre chief digital […]
Canada must continue to prioritize innovation
As 2012 draws to a close, our country has much to celebrate. We have earned the reputation among our international peers as an innovative and hard-working nation. Some of this success can be attributed to the government’s deft handling of the economy during a highly uncertain period. Canada weathered the global recession better than […]
‘The knowledge-based economy is upon us’: minister of state for science Goodyear
Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear may have one of the most important low-profile jobs in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Cabinet. While other members of the government must often defend their decisions, and sometimes their jobs, before Parliament, Mr. Goodyear has spent the past four years shaping how the federal government […]
Is this the end of Liberalism or a large-scale renewal?
OTTAWA—There’s a lot of change taking place in the House of Liberalism these days. Either it’s the start of a large-scale renewal happening, or it’s a widespread shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic while the leaders have all jumped overboard. Liberals hope it’s the former, while other partisans are declaring it to […]
Doctors report confusion, disarray following cuts to refugee health program
Members of Canadian Doctors For Refugee Care say the interim federal health program for asylum seekers is in disarray three months after Immigration Minister Jason Kenney introduced changes to the program, but Mr. Kenney’s office is denying claims that the changes have resulted in bad health outcomes for asylum seekers as Citizenship and Immigration […]
Health Canada, CIHR prepare to role out new aboriginal health research program
Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says that her department and the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) will open up the application process for a new long-term aboriginal health research fund this month, but critics say the funding won’t offset cuts to other aboriginal programs in the 2012 federal budget. Ms. Aglukkaq and […]
Federal government quiet on health care, an opportunity for opposition parties, says Simpson in new book and Q&A
There is a federal leadership vacuum in Canada’s health-care system and a fearless opposition party in Ottawa could capitalize on the Conservative government’s absence to take hold of the medicare debate in a big way, says veteran Globe and Mail national affairs columnist Jeffrey Simpson who just released his book Chronic Condition: Why Canada’s Health-Care […]
What a difference a decade makes
A decade passes quickly. Fashions, headlines, and elections come and go, but, almost by definition, any change significant enough to transform a society takes place over generations, not a few years. Yet, looking back, some long-term trends sped up considerably over the last 10 years. And these trends matter. Nowhere was this more obvious than […]
