Establish Canada as hub for next wave of knowledge industries and make it a national priority
VANCOUVER, B.C.—If you want to get into the mining business, you need an ore body. If you’re going into the oil business, you need oil. And if you’re a nation looking to build a knowledge economy, you need knowledge workers—and plenty of them. Therein lies the conundrum facing our governments as they seek to transform […]
Transforming science and technology into innovation
“Well informed people know that it is impossible to transmit their voices over wires and that, were it possible to do so, the thing would be of no practical value.”—Boston Post, editorial, 1865 OTTAWA—Recent reports and editorials have highlighted Canada’s lagging performance in science—and technology-related innovation and competitiveness. Analysis reveals that, despite a strong science […]
Public wants in on science and technology policy
OTTAWA—Imagine opening a magazine and seeing an advertisement proclaiming, “More doctors smoke our brand than any other cigarette,” followed by a report showing a man proudly standing beside a scale model of a nuclear-powered car. Today, such publications are quite inconceivable, yet they existed only 50 years ago. We all know that our trust in […]
Canada must place good policy above partisan politics on innovation, science, and technology
MONTREAL—”Could do better.” Three words on a school report card with which many parents and students are all too familiar. You are not living up to your potential, the teacher says, you need to apply yourself. Look past the repeated scolding, and there’s an underlying optimism in this message. Many often miss it: You can […]
Time to open up knowledge generation to people untrained in science
VANCOUVER, B.C.—Until recently the notion of “democratizing” science—reforming the scientific elite—seemed ridiculous to me. I had spent years of my life in graduate school, surrounded by fleece-wearing, coffee-drinking, slightly introverted physicists. I saw no evidence of an elite. But working in women’s health research over the last few years, I have begun to understand how […]
A new model of innovation for successful societies
OTTAWA—As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, a new model of innovation is placing people squarely at centre stage. In recent decades, the dominant concept of innovation has evolved from a linear-transfer “push” model, to a more iterative “chain-link” model, and most recently to a complex model connecting researchers to […]
Feds need to tap into global innovation opportunities
Although the federal government is doing a good job at investing in research and development, Canada is still in the bottom half of OECD countries when it comes to innovation and both businesses and governments should be looking at different ways to tap into global innovation opportunities, say experts. “I think the first thing that […]
Copyright consultation provides blueprint for reform
OTTAWA—This past summer, Industry Minister Tony Clement and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore successfully completed the first national public consultation on copyright policy in eight years. While there were a few inevitable hiccups, the consultation is rightly viewed as among the most inclusive, transparent, and accessible efforts in recent memory. By leveraging social media and […]
Getting it right: Tories must move from regressive to progressive copyright
OTTAWA—The recent round of copyright consultations represents the first positive step on the copyright file since the Conservatives took power. But the question that remains is: What will come of these meetings? In the four years since then-Heritage minister Bev Oda promised to deliver quick action on the copyright file, the Tories have treated the […]
Introducing a copyright bill is kind of like swatting at a beehive with a big stick
MONTREAL—Copyright policy was forever messy. Now it’s getting messier. The last time the government conducted major changes to the Copyright Act was in 1997. About 80 different organizations lobbied the government and Parliament. Reflecting on the passage of the amending legislation, Bill C-32, and the temporary war zone it created, former Heritage minister Sheila Copps […]
