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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
How Morneau can make this year’s budget the innovation budget
Will Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s 2017 budget be the innovation budget? That’s far from clear. Innovation and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains has launched his own innovation agenda project and may want to save some big ideas for his own report. Now, Morneau’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth has just issued a new set of […]
Vox populi on innovation
Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Navdeep Bains “We have heard consistently from Canadians the importance of really embracing technology and really focusing on technology to create good quality Canadian jobs, to create opportunities for Canadian companies to grow. That’s going to be obviously a focal point for us because that’s what we’ve […]
Liberals focusing on ‘lifelong learning’ to develop more innovative workforce: Bains
It almost goes without saying: Navdeep Bains (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.) is a busy man. As Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development, the veteran Liberal MP is responsible for overseeing the expansive swath of government programs designed to help Canadian businesses grow and succeed. He’s also the point man for the Liberals’ ambitious innovation agenda, which […]
Innovation statistics
Research and development, by the numbers: 1.61 per cent of GDP Canada spent this much on R&D as of 2014, according to the latest OECD data. This compares to the 2.7 per cent of GDP the United States spent, and 2.04 per cent China spent, as well as 1.7 per cent Britain spent. Korea is a […]
