Editorial - 21-9

It's finally arrived. After months of waiting, a freshly minted S&T Strategy has been bestowed on the nation from on high — by the prime minister no less. This has promoted the question that's on everyone's lips for the past two weeks: ‘So what do you think?'

The answer is, it's an impressive foundation that could signal the beginning of a well-aligned, systems-approach to building out Canada's knowledge-based economy. There are caveats, of course, but considering the failure of the previous government to bring coherency to its S&T initiatives, the Strategy's astute analysis and policy prescriptions are both welcome and long overdue.

The Strategy's analysis of the rapidly evolving global environment that Canada must compete within is accurate. And its insistence that business must drive the innovation agenda is well conceived. So, too, is the commitment to better align programs, regulations and policies.

While the document is largely free of any particular political slant, it's not completely devoid of the ideological bias the government holds towards direct support for business.

The S&T initiatives in the latest Budget (which were supposed to follow the Strategy's release) are devoid of any fiscal measures for bridging the gaps on the road to the marketplace. One can also argue with the Strategy's reading of why businesses innovate. CEOs of tech firms will tell you that, customer needs drive innovation, not markets or great ideas.

The Strategy will fuel all manner of debate in the coming months. This government has our attention.