Editorial - 26-9

To any informed observer, Canada's innovation strategy is a work in progress at best. Many will argue that we don't have one and advocate for a new strategy to replace the increasingly outdated 2007 version. But one major obstacle appears to be blocking such an initiative.

The Conservative government doesn't like strategies. Whether this is due to an aversion to anything that will hold the government to account, or the reflection of a laissez-faire, free-market attitude to all things innovative, is a moot point.

As the strategy vacuum grows, industry is starting to suffer without concerted, collaboration action among the three pillars of innovation — industry, academia and government. Companies participating in the digital economy, manufacturing and the space sector know all too well what the lack of sector-specific strategies mean.

In the meantime, government represenatives travel across the country telling us what a great job they're doing on the innovation front. The mantra is recycled ad infinitum while industry and the research community plug along as best they can.

It's clear (sort of) that a greater emphasis is being placed on industry engagement and industry-driven research. That's all good but imagine how innovative Canada could be is everyone was singing from the same song sheet.

The US advanced manufacturing strategy (see page 4) is an excellent example of how strategic thinking can and inspire creative thinking to address mounting challenges to our standard of living. Canada needs to get serious about innovation or suffer the long-term consequences.