Life sciences and the commodification of everything
SAANICH GULF ISLANDS, B.C.—It was once the case that the term “life sciences” meant the scientific study of living organisms. It meant biology, zoology, ecology, and even bio-ethics. In what must have been a public relations re-branding, “life sciences” has now adopted an almost entirely technological, commercial focus on genetically-modified products and pharmaceuticals. It […]
Feds shift funds away from basic science research to business-driven applied research programs
BURNABY-DOUGLAS, B.C.—Increasing productivity remains a tough challenge for all sectors of the Canadian economy, with one of the main concerns identified in the well-cited 2011 Jenkins report being “ Canada’s business innovation problem.” In Innovation Canada: A Call to Action, the Jenkins panel explains how Canadian businesses are much slower than our U.S. counterparts […]
Canada’s life sciences industry split on Canada-EU free trade agreement
Canada’s pharmaceutical and biotechnological research sectors say proposed changes to the country’s intellectual property regime will foster innovation and attract investment, but the generic drug and regenerative medicine sectors warn that the changes could have unintended consequences for the cost and quality of medicine in Canada. “We need to be as good as, if […]
CRTC, CBSC ensuring Canada’s high standards for consumer choice maintained
The following is a speech Mr. Katz gave to the 50th National Conference of the Radio Television Digital News Association Canada—The Association of Electronic Journalists on June 23, 2012 in Toronto and has been edited for length and style. The world of broadcasting has changed dramatically over the past five decades. All of us […]
Health Canada’s new legislative powers keep consumers safe
Canadian consumers rightly expect that the products they find when they go shopping are safe. But as the world keeps changing, consumers and governments need to make sure that they have access to current information and modern tools to protect the safety of Canadians and their families. Most Canadians would likely have been surprised […]
Safe Food for Canadians Act modernizing food inspection, says CFIA president
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency plays a key role in maintaining Canada’s food safety system. But the world in which the CFIA operates is changing and the CFIA needs to change with it. Canada has one of the best food inspection systems in the world. The agency wants to build on this strong foundation, and adapt to emerging […]
Canadians want more product labeling, not reductions in food and drug regulations
In all the slashing and burning of existing environmental laws, the dramatic reduction of oversight of the Canadian domestic spy agency, the loss of sovereignty in allowing U.S. law enforcement agencies into Canada to make arrests, all found in the omnibus budget bill, C-38, last spring, less noticed were significant changes in consumer safety. […]
CRTC should regulate wireless service terms and conditions to create certainty for industry, consumers
The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission is considering calls by industry and consumer advocacy groups to regulate Canada’s wireless telecommunications sector because an absence of federal regulation has led to different rules around wireless services in different provinces. NDP consumer affairs critic Glenn Thibeault is in favour of the CRTC resuming its regulatory authority over […]
Tories not showing leadership on retail marketplace
The people who put Canada in deficit before the recession began want you to believe they are good economic managers. Putting aside that ridiculous claim for a moment, let’s look at two issues on which the Conservatives should be showing leadership: the retail marketplace and household debt. This fall the debate around Canada’s payments […]
Tories turning ‘deaf ear’ to small businesses
Ask just about anyone in Canada and they will be able to easily list their concerns about bank costs—predatory interest rates on credit cards, ever increasing minimum balances required to avoid chequing account fees, and even being charged excessive fees to access their own money at ATMs. These are issues the NDP has consistently […]
