From Lab to Launch: Four Ideas for Bridging AI Research and Real-World Adoption

October 1, 2025 – Canada has world-class strength in AI research but continues to fall short in widespread adoption, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. On the heels of the federal government’s announcement of a new AI Strategy Task Force, the report highlights the urgent need to bridge the gap between […]

How the Canada Post Strike Plays Out is a Bellwether of our National Future

Published in Financial Post. Last week, the federal government ordered Canada Post to develop a transformation plan to put itself on a financially sustainable footing. It gave the Crown corporation a green light to trim and modernize its network, end most door-to-door delivery, expand community mailboxes and reduce delivery frequency and speed for non-priority items. […]

Weak Within and Shaken by Tariffs, Canada Needs a New Economic and Fiscal Model

Published in The Globe and Mail. A trading nation, Canada lives next to what has long been a big welcoming market in a generally competitive free-trading world. That once free American market is fast being restricted by tariffs, for now made passably permeable by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is likely to be made more U.S.-protectionist […]

Shaken by Tariffs, Still Weak from Within: Canada Needs a New Economic and Fiscal Model

Edited remarks delivered to the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, on September 5, 2025.   Introduction: Canada Faces Layers of Economic and Fiscal Challenges There is keen awareness that Canada faces a serious economic challenge – if not a crisis – emanating from the US tariff threat. A desperate attempt is being made to […]

Tariffs Are Exposing Canada’s Deeper Economic Weaknesses

September 4, 2025 – The US tariff threat has exposed the fragility of Canada’s economic model, built on deep reliance on its southern neighbour. But tariffs are only the latest shock. Woeful productivity growth, high public debt, and a tax system that discourages growth have been weighing on the Canadian economy for years, according to […]

Ottawa’s Bold Prefab Housing Bet Needs System Reform to Deliver

From: Tasnim FarihaTo: Housing watchersDate: August 14, 2025Re: Ottawa’s Bold Prefab Housing Bet Needs System Reform to Deliver Prime Minister Mark Carney has wasted no time signaling that innovation will be central to his approach to solving Canada’s housing crisis. His government’s early commitment to modular and prefabricated housing – including the launch of the […]

Canadian Businesses are Less Innovative Than Five Years Ago

Innovation fuels economic growth and underpins productivity, but Canadian businesses are less innovative than five years ago. Although small businesses are less likely to be innovative, larger businesses have seen bigger declines in innovation activity. Declines across all types of innovation for all business sizes is a very troubling trend. For more, see Unleashing Innovation: […]

Canada Can’t Afford to Wait for Open Banking

From: Harvey NaglieTo: Banking observersDate: July 29, 2025Re: Canada Can’t Afford to Wait for Open Banking Canada is at risk of becoming the last G7 nation to implement open banking. The federal government has announced a launch target of early 2026. While this commitment is welcome, the timeline is far too slow – and the […]

What Drives Innovation? Lessons from Canadian Firms

July 24, 2025 – Canadian firms that actively work to tackle innovation barriers, such as financial constraints or skills shortages, are significantly more likely to innovate than those that don’t act, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Unleashing Innovation: Barriers, Government Support Programs, and What Works Best,” Catherine Beaudry shows […]

Quels sont les moteurs de l’innovation ? Les leçons apprises des entreprises canadiennes

24 juillet 2025 – Selon un nouveau rapport de l’Institut C.D. Howe, les entreprises canadiennes qui s’efforcent activement de surmonter les obstacles à l’innovation, tels que les contraintes financières ou le manque de compétences, sont beaucoup plus susceptibles d’innover que celles qui n’agissent pas. Dans « Unleashing Innovation: Barriers, Government Support Programs, and What Works Best », […]

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