Canada's Innovation Strategy

Canada's Innovation Strategy is presented in two papers, Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians and Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity. The strategy outlines the factors that will drive economic growth and social development over the next decade. The papers highlight the goals, milestones and targets that will improve innovation, skills and learning in Canada.

Summary

Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians, calls for a collaborative approach between all sectors of society to ensure Canadians have the tools they need to participate in Canada's workplace, thereby keeping Canada economically strong and socially sound. The paper outlines a series of national goals and milestones for children and youth, post-secondary education, the adult labour force, and immigration. Those goals are:

• to ensure our children and youth get the best possible start in life;
• to ensure all qualified Canadians have access to high-quality post-secondary education;
• to ensure Canada's current and emerging workforce is more highly skilled and adaptable;
• to ensure that Canada continues to attract highly skilled immigrants and help them achieve their full potential in Canadian society and the labour market.

The paper dealing with economic growth, entitled Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity, examines the role of innovation in the Canadian economy and proposes goals, targets and federal priorities in four key areas:

• knowledge performance - create knowledge and bring the ideas to market more quickly, as well as increase investment by all sectors in research and development;
• skills - ensure that Canada has enough highly qualified people with the skills for a knowledge-based economy;
• the innovation environment - modernize our business and regulatory policies to support and recognize innovation excellence while protecting our quality of life; and
• strengthening communities - support innovation at the local level so our communities continue to be magnets for investment and opportunity.

To obtain a copy of either Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians, or Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity, please visit "The Innovation Strategy" Web page on the Innovation in Canada's Web site or call 1-800-O-CANADA (1-800-622-6232).

New Brunswick Contact(s):
See National Contact.

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National Contact(s):
Innovation Secretariat
Industry Canada
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0H5
Telephone: 613-957-3557
Fax: 613-946-0167
E-mail: innovation@ic.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca