Lewis, Dupuy – Nostalgia Should Not Drive Ontario’s Economic Development Policy


John Lester – Rethinking How We Support R&D


John Lester – Size shouldn’t matter for R&D business subsidies
Published in the Financial Post
After two rounds of consultations, Finance Canada is considering reforms to its scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) program. The review takes place against the backdrop of distressingly poor productivity performance and worries about the amount and effectiveness of R&D performed in Canada and the incentives for innovative startups to commercialize and scale-up their operations.
These concerns exist even though the federal government spent almost $11 billion last year to support innovation. Innovative firms get support to: hire skilled workers, perform R&D, commercialize inventions and scale-up their operations.
The program review should recognize where…
John Lester – Size shouldn’t matter for R&D business subsidies
Published in the Financial Post
After two rounds of consultations, Finance Canada is considering reforms to its scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) program. The review takes place against the backdrop of distressingly poor productivity performance and worries about the amount and effectiveness of R&D performed in Canada and the incentives for innovative startups to commercialize and scale-up their operations.
These concerns exist even though the federal government spent almost $11 billion last year to support innovation. Innovative firms get support to: hire skilled workers, perform R&D, commercialize inventions and scale-up their operations.
The program review should recognize where…
Dan Ciuriak – Industrial Policy Lessons from a Dairy Pot Calling Canada’s Kettle Black


Smart, Runge – Risk Aversion is Hampering our Industrial Offset Policy


DeLand, Gilmour – Canada Needs More Major Project Investment: Here Are Some Ideas
To: Canadian major project watchers From: Charles DeLand and Brad Gilmour Date: April 16, 2024 Re: Canada Needs More Major Project Investment: Here Are Some Ideas It has not been easy for Canadian companies to plan and complete major projects in Canada recently. Hydroelectric dams, pipelines, mines, rail hubs, and port expansions and others are […]Webcast – Empty Seats: How Labour Shortages are Impacting SMEs


The other immigration problem: Too much talent is leaving Canada – Globe and Mail
Surging immigration numbers are top-of-mind for Canadians. But as we reconsider targets for newcomers and address pain points such as housing, we also need to pay attention to talent retention.
Tens of thousands of people leave Canada every year, many of them talented and entrepreneurial people we will miss. Importantly, a significant fraction are themselves immigrants, which may mean we are missing an opportunity to boost Canada’s long-term growth and prosperity.
A recent study by Statistics Canada, using a data set that combines detailed immigration department data with a Canada Revenue Agency database, highlights the significant phenomenon of emigration among immigrants in Canada. The overall…