OK, Boomer: The problem with analogue politicians in a digital world
OTTAWA—OK, Boomer. The fundamental lack of understanding of technology, paired with the complete disinterest in learning about it and how it affects our lives, is a massive problem for democratic governments, and Canada is not immune to this. In fact, this is where Canadian leadership takes hold—in deliberate ignorance. From New Zealand Member of Parliament […]
Innovation Policy Briefing
Research will solidify Canada’s cannabis advantage
Researchers use milestones and anniversaries as opportunities to stop and reflect on their projects, take stock of accomplishments and identify what still needs to be done. So, as we pass the one-year anniversary of the Cannabis Act, let’s stop for a moment and do just that. Initial challenges around policy and regulation, industrial production, and […]
Unleashing productivity growth through open science innovation
Canadian labour productivity is negative this year. As a country, we are producing less, while using more resources. For the first time, the federal government created an innovation strategy aimed at reversing this. While its effects have yet to reach the economy, the strategy still remains tentative. We need to do more: develop innovative approaches […]
ISED working with BIOTECanada to get better, much-needed industry data
BIOTECanada, the industry association that represents more than 200 Canadian biotechnology companies, has been in talks with Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada for “over a year” in an effort to get much-needed, comprehensive federal statistics on the biotechnology industry in Canada, says BIOTECanada president Andrew Casey. The department did not respond directly to questions […]
Canada should focus on game-changing technologies that can improve health care
With the federal election underway, Canadians across the country are going to be hearing a lot about health care over the next several weeks, and rightly so. With health-care spending exceeding 10 per cent of Canada’s GDP and accounting for nearly 50 per cent of many government budgets, it is an important topic and one […]
Biotech Policy Briefing
Cloud nein: Will the neuro-mash kill novels?
There’s a special sub-genre of technology writing that I like to think of as the Ativan of the new new journalism—the stuff that soothingly portrays boundary violating, privacy-invading, human rights abrogating technological innovation as cool and fun as opposed to creepy and horrifying. In the always-excellent FT Weekend last weekend, there was a piece headlined, […]
Parties take on phone bills, internet prices in election platforms
Unlike the 2015 race, affordable cell phone and internet bills—and better access in rural areas—are shaping up as key campaign planks so far this election, say consumer advocates, who are praising party pitches so far as a step forward but caution they’re short on details. There has been a “big shift” with these issues getting […]
Canadian government needs to have a more unified China strategy across all domains including innovation and research direction
Questions have been raised around Huawei’s funding of 5G research in Canadian universities and whether the government should continue to allow this or not. Stimulating the debate are the current Canada-China geopolitical and trade tensions and the ongoing investigation around the potential national security threat of implementing a Chinese network infrastructure. The decision is still […]
