News That Matters To You

By Mark Lowey
Removing anti-competitive regulations in energy, transportation, retail, and professional services could boost Canada's GDP by up to 10 percent, or $300 billion, over the long term, says an international study commissioned by Competition Bureau Canada. Government reforms to make the rules more competition-friendly would foster innovation, close the productivity gap, and raise living standards, according to the study.

By Mark Lowey
The Sustainable Development Technology Corporation has been officially shut down and all its programs fully transferred to the National Research Council after federal audits found serious financial mismanagement and governance issues at SDTC. A report by Canada's Auditor General Karen Hogan revealed $59 million in ineligible funding, raising concerns about oversight and accountability for taxpayer dollars.

By Mark Lowey
Canada's failure to adapt its policies to a global economy now driven by intangible assets like data and AI has caused a decline in living standards, says businessman and philanthropist Jim Balsillie. He urges Canada to prioritize domestic firms and strategic policies to compete with predatory economic practices, particularly from the United States, and avoid becoming a second-world country.

By Mark Lowey
Canada could learn valuable lessons from other countries’ programs to transition their workforces during the shift to a net-zero emissions economy, say policy and economics experts. These lessons also could help train and deploy local workforces that will be required to build the major projects the federal government has identified as being in the national interest, they said during a Future Skills Centre webinar on place-based workforce development.

By Mark Lowey
Canada now has “generational” opportunities – given the Trump administration’s cuts to U.S. research, science and education systems – to make an unprecedented “brain gain,” upskill and reskill its workforce for the AI age, and scale high-potential businesses, Daniel Tisch Echevarría, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said during a Future Skills webinar on future skills for Canada's prosperity.

By Mark Lowey
The federal-Alberta energy agreement could unlock over $90 billion in low-carbon capital investment and slash over 70 million tonnes of annual emissions in Alberta, according to a report by Clean Prosperity. Michael Bernstein, president and CEO of Clean Prosperity, urges both governments to finalize new rules for Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction carbon market to incentivize low-carbon investment.

By Mark Lowey
Procurement and adoption in Canada of homegrown digital technologies and services are key to growing the country’s economy, say industry and innovation leaders. Canada also needs to take more risks, accept that failure is part of innovation, and celebrate successful innovative Canadian companies, they said during a Canadian Science and Policy Centre webinar.

By Mark Lowey
Canada has taken several measures to protect its sensitive research. However, the country's research security approach still lacks harmonization and scientific evidence, says Martha Crago, who chaired a Council of Canadian Academies expert panel report. This creates challenges for inter-institutional partnerships, the consistent implementation of research security measures, and weakens the uptake of initiatives, according to the report.

By Mark Lowey
Budget 2025 prioritizes economic sovereignty, says the Council of Canadian Innovators, but the federal government still needs a clear definition of a Canadian technology company to ensure the planned spending benefits domestic firms. Daniel Perry, CCI's director of federal affairs, urges the government to collaborate with CEOs and industry leaders to shape program, policy and procurement strategies.