Increasing Innovation and Productivity

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Productivity growth and innovation are the sine qua non for economic prosperity. Canada’s productivity growth record over the past two decades has been dismal. How do we address this challenge? What role can the federal government play and what policy remedies are required to turn the situation around?

Opinion
and issues

April 6, 2012

Opinion: Can a Small Change Budget Transform Canada’s Economy?

The federal Budget thus far seems to be known most for eliminating the penny, a small change initiative if there…
March 5, 2012

Opinion: Peter Nicholson calls for more public sector innovation

The Drummond report on Ontario’s fiscal woes came mixed with a visionary challenge to make Ontario “a province that provides…
February 24, 2012

Standing room only as panelists debate innovation and productivity

Ottawa – Productivity is down, innovation is lagging, and staying the course does not bode well for Canada’s future. Over…
February 24, 2012

Opinion: Lawson Hunter discusses the need to reset the regulatory agenda

Independent body needed to review rules In February, Ottawa will almost certainly reveal long-awaited cuts across government departments. It will…
February 23, 2012

Opinion: The free-market hasn’t delivered on productivity, writes Jim Stanford

In the initial postwar decades, Canada’s economy experienced a historic leap forward, qualitatively and quantitatively. Strong business investment, rapid industrialization,…
February 22, 2012

Opinion: Canada lags badly in innovation and productivity, writes Kevin Lynch

At the recent Davos World Economic Forum gathering, the Harvard Business School trumpeted a multi-year project on U.S. competitiveness, itself…
February 16, 2012

Opinion: Skilled trades deficit colliding with energy boom

For many years we have been told Canada faces an acute “skills mismatch,” where the economy has lots of great…
February 15, 2012

Issues: Productivity and Innovation

Productivity growth is essential to maintaining, or increasing, our standard of living. It is especially critical at the present time,…
November 25, 2011

Needed: Innovative Thinking on Innovation

The facts about poor Canadian productivity and innovation performance are easy to rhyme off. The discussion about how to address…

Events

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June 7, 2012

Taking Flight: Making an Ontario Aerospace Cluster a Reality

Speakers: Jim Stanford

Innovation Feb 23
February 23, 2012

The Canada We Want in 2020: Increasing Innovation and Productivity

Speakers: Jim Stanford, Kevin G. Lynch, Lawson Hunter, Peter Nicholson

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November 1, 2011

Canada-U.S. Innovation Partnership

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November 23, 2010

Foreign Ownership of Canadian Natural Resources: Canada 2020 Panel Discussion

Speakers: Hon. Roy Romanow, Michael Bryant, Professor Michael Hart

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October 15, 2009

U of T President David Naylor: The Urgent Need for a Bold Discussion About Canada’s Universities

Speakers: David Naylor

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July 24, 2009

Canada 2020: Interview with Ed Bernacki of The Idea Factory

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June 11, 2009

CanadaCast: Interview with Paul Lavoie

Speakers: Paul Lavoie

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March 9, 2011

Speakers Series: Brad DeLong & David Dodge

Speakers: David Dodge

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May 6, 2010

Telecom in Canada: A New Owner’s Manual

Speakers: Konrad von Finckenstein, Robert Rabinovitch

Featured Links

May 16, 2012

Does Canada suffer from Dutch disease? Not really, according to a new IRPP study

Debate about the impact of the natural resources economy on Canada’s manufacturers is raging. This timely report analyses the facts.
April 23, 2012

Public sector productivity: the hidden challenge

Echoing Peter Nicholson’s paper in The Canada We Want in 2020, Neil Reynolds argues for more attention to be paid…
April 12, 2012

New report blames `culture of comfort’ for poor innovation performance

Secor’s, Marcel Côté and Roger Miller analyze why current innovation policies are not working.
April 2, 2012

Innovation and the budget

Peter Nicholson is a guest on CBC’s The Current, talking about the importance of public sector innovation.
April 2, 2012

Manufacturing unleashes productivity and innovation

The Director of Obama’s Economic Council (and former Canada 2020 speaker) Gene Sperling, argues that manufacturing holds the key to…
March 25, 2012

Canadian companies tend to sell out early, rather than becoming major global players

Eric Reguly sees in the Viterra deal another example of Canadian short-sightedness
February 1, 2012

Jeffrey Simpson: Can Ottawa spark innovation?

Jeff Simpson writes in the Globe and Mail about federal efforts to promote innovation and productivity and questions whether these…
December 19, 2011

Shawn McCarthy: Labour shortage looms in NL

McCarthy reports on the enormous labour supply challenges facing NL and other provinces. Canada 2020′s Eugene Lang is featured in…
November 3, 2011

Eugene Lang: Shipbuilding Response — Canada changed for the better

Canada 2020′s Eugene Lang has an op-ed in iPolitics, arguing that the recent shipbuilding decision suggests Canada has changed for the…
October 13, 2011

FT: Memo to UK’s top civil servant: strategy please

James Purnell, a former cabinet minister, has some pointed advice to Britain’s new top mandarin: “strategy please!”
July 4, 2011

Bremmer: On the Economy, Be Careful What You Wish For

Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and author of The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States…
June 29, 2011

STIC Report: Canada slips further in innovation rankings

Barrie McKenna, who was on Canada 2020′s 2011 pre-budget panel, examines Canada’s continuing decline in innovation rankings in the Globe and Mail. The…
June 27, 2011

G&M’s Eric Reguly: Why doesn’t Canada have more top companies?

The Globe and Mail’s Eric Reguly looks at “why doesn’t Canada have more top companies?”
May 20, 2011

Premier of Alberta’s Council for Economic Strategy Released

On May 5, 2011, the Premier of Alberta’s Council for Economic Strategy released its report, Shaping Alberta’s Future (pdf). The report is…
March 29, 2011

Toronto Board of Trade: Toronto 8th in prosperity report

The Toronto Board of Trade launched its third edition of Scorecard On Prosperity 2011 (PDF).It benchmarks Toronto against 23 other metropolitan areas  on issues related…
November 26, 2010

Barber & Lang: The age-old debate on foreign takeovers continues

Canada 2020 Co-Founders Tim Barber and Eugene Lang examine the age-old debate on foreign takeovers on iPolitics.
July 7, 2010

Lang: Why Canada shouldn’t strut on the global stage

Canada 2020′s Eugene Lang has an article in today’s Globe and Mail on “why Canada shouldn’t strut on the global…
March 3, 2010

The Mark: 14 Ideas to Save Canada

The Mark features 14 Ideas to Save Canada. As part of it, Canada2020′s Gene Lang warns that Canada’s political class has no plan…
May 15, 2009

Thriving Norway Provides an Economics Lesson

While Harper an Flaherty boast about the strength of Canada’s banks, Alberta has gone from boom to bust (again). Across…
May 11, 2009

Gwyn Morgan: R&D as good as it gets?

Morgan, in a Globe op-ed online, notes that while “businesses are engaged in a Darwinian struggle that will see the…
May 6, 2009

Will Canada miss the next wireless revolution?

Sara Diamond, president of the Ontario College of Art and Design, has a great op-ed in the Globe on how…
May 4, 2009

Harvey Weingarten: Canada’s R&D machine needs direction

Harvey Weingarten, President and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary and a  member of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council…
March 31, 2009

Car Manufacturing: A Failed Policy Running on Fumes?

Konrad Yakabusky, over at the Globe, has a daring piece of analysis about the future of the car sector in…

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