Canada is on the cusp of a historical energy transformation, let’s do it
The year 2020 is expected to be the largest and most abrupt economic contraction since the Great Depression. The cautious expectation is that, once a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes widely available, the economy can enter a quick rebuilding phase. In the months to come, the federal government will be seeking to kick-start Canada’s economic recovery, […]
Unite the forces of government, business, and science to combat climate change post-pandemic
COVID-19 has dominated news headlines in 2020, with governments around the globe focused on protecting the health of its citizens, and businesses across all industries scrambling for ways to both survive and keep their employees safe. This has been the year of a pandemic, but it has also been the year of Australian wildfires, deforestation […]
Canada and Artemis Accords drive Soviet-era space rules into the 21st century
Finally, after 50 years of relying on broad, Cold War-era rules, Canada and other nations are taking serious steps to establish a modern framework to govern activities in space. Earlier this year, NASA announced the development of the “Artemis Accords,” a set of operational principles to guide the American-led initiative to return humanity to the […]
Aerospace sector looks to government for help as pandemic grounds once high-flying industry
The Canadian aerospace sector and parliamentarians are calling on the government to help the once-mighty industry ahead of the Nov. 30 fiscal update, as the pandemic has slashed revenues, jeopardized jobs, and has cast a dark shadow on the medium- and long-term prospects for a return to some kind of normalcy. But even before the […]
Superclusters’ long-term economic impacts, benefits will only become evident over next few years
The Innovation Superclusters Initiative is a flagship co-investment with private industry in five sectors in which Canada has demonstrated significant competitive advantages: digital technologies, protein industries, next-generation manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and ocean science. These sectors represent the world-leading ecosystems of tomorrow, and will unleash Canadian innovation further and faster through public-private partnerships. The five superclusters […]
Artificial intelligence will underpin Canadian innovation and global competitiveness
Data has been called the oil of the 21st century. And artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and tools are commonly described as the new refineries that will convert the data into value-added products, services and platforms. Globally, it is estimated that, by 2025, there will be over 450 exabytes of digital data generated every day—that’s equivalent […]
COVID-19 will accelerate automation, and we must embrace it
WATERLOO—Over the last decade, the rise of robotics and artificial intelligence has emerged as a critical topic of discussion. By some estimates, almost half of existing jobs could be automated within a generation. Not surprisingly, then, managing this future of work has become a primary concern among the public and policy-makers alike. In 2018, under its […]
Chief science adviser wants position to become ‘part of the fabric of our country’
Canada’s Chief Science Adviser Dr. Mona Nemer says the chief science adviser position should be a permanent fixture within the Canadian government, the strongest statement to date and in line with calls from the science community to enshrine the post in legislation. “We’ve had a very checkered history of science advisers in Canada. We’re a […]
Three ways AI can substantially improve economic analyses
The recent boom in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques has shown their potential to revolutionize our societies, with noticeable advances in applied sciences (automation of transport, health, and interpersonal interaction). However, these powerful tools still have relatively low popularity in the social sciences. How can AI and ML be useful to a […]
Biotechnology Policy Briefing
