Prime Minister Releases National Science And Technology Strategy To Strengthen C

Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage is available for download at
http://www.ic.gc.ca/s&tstrategy
Copies can also be ordered from the Government of Canada Publications Centre at 1 800 635-7943.

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Backgrounder
Canada's Science and Technology Strategy

In November 2006, Canada's New Government released Advantage Canada, an economic plan to make Canada a world leader for current and future generations. Advantage Canada is based on the premise that Canada already has tremendous strengths, including the drive and ingenuity of our people, the relative strength of our fiscal position, and our strong research base. It also recognizes that Canada can and must do more to turn ideas into innovations that improve our environment, health and economic competitiveness.

This Science and Technology (S&T) Strategy — Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage — is the government's plan to achieve the goals set out in Advantage Canada. The strategy focuses on creating a more competitive and sustainable Canadian economy with the help of S&T. It seeks to maximize the freedom of scientists to investigate, and of entrepreneurs to innovate.

Through commitments made in Budget 2007, and consistent with the S&T Strategy, a series of initiatives has been launched that will help us make Canada a world leader in innovation.

A New Approach to Science and Technology
To improve our quality of life, we must improve our competitiveness. To do this, we need a new approach — a new strategy that builds on our strong economic fundamentals, takes advantage of the research capacity we have built, and more effectively uses S&T to develop practical applications to address our challenges.

The strategy is built on creating the following Advantages for Canadians:
Entrepreneurial Advantage — Canada needs a strong private sector commitment to S&T. Canada's private sector must do more to translate knowledge into commercial applications that generate wealth for Canadians. At a time when Canada's overall productivity gains are below those of other trading nations with whom we compete, encouraging greater private sector S&T investment is a national priority.
Knowledge Advantage — Canada must continue to strengthen its knowledge base. To succeed in an increasingly competitive global arena, Canadians must be at the leading edge of important developments that generate health, environmental, societal and economic benefits.
People Advantage — Canada must be a magnet for talent. Talented, skilled, creative people are the most critical element of a successful national economy over the long term. Canadian businesses and other organizations need to make better use of the skills, talent and knowledge of our S&T workforce. This, in turn, will generate more interest among young people in pursuing S&T studies and careers, creating a virtuous cycle of talent generation and mobilization.

Outcomes for Canadians
The S&T Strategy will ensure that federal investments in S&T make a meaningful difference to improve the wealth and well-being of Canadians.

The Strategy recognizes that the government plays an important role in ensuring a competitive marketplace and in creating an investment climate that encourages the private sector to compete against the world on the basis of their innovative products, services and technologies. Canada's New Government will do its part to create a new climate of innovation and discovery in our nation.

For the business community, we will focus on what government does best, which is creating an environment that promotes private investment in research and development (R&D), advanced technologies, and skilled workers. For the higher-education community, we will maintain our G7 leadership in public sector R&D performance and strategically target more research in support of priorities that matter to Canadians. We will sustain our commitment to training the next generation of researchers and innovators, upon whom Canada's future success depends. For Canadians overall, we will hold ourselves accountable for delivering results.

Canada's New Government understands the far-reaching implications of S&T discoveries, and of the applications and the endless possibilities they provide: more educational and professional opportunities, more prosperous living for individuals and families, and healthier communities.

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[I think it's kind of funny that Harper made this announcement at Waterloo. Microsoft hires more people from the University of Waterloo than any other university. It's good to see that the government has some sort of a plan to encourage more R&D. I wouldn't want Canada to become more like the US, where last year more people got massage therapy degrees than engineering degrees. Most of the scientific community seems to like this plan. The journal of the Canadian Medical Association gave it a good review also. -- NSay]

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