Innovation Canada: A Call to Action

Innovation Canada: A Call to ActionCanada’s post-secondary educationinstitutions should expedite the transferof intellectual property rights and thecommercialization of university generatedintellectual property. One possible methodto achieve this would be to move to an‘innovator ownership’ model to speedcommercialization.”Attracting and Developing TalentThe report made the followingrecommendations (2008, pp. 128–129).“Governments should continue to invest ineducation in order to enhance quality andimprove educational outcomes whilegradually liberalizing provincial tuition policiesoffset by more student assistance based onincome and merit.Post-secondary education institutions shouldpursue global excellence through greaterspecialization, focusing on strategies tocultivate and attract top international talent,especially in the fields of math, science andbusiness.Governments should use all the mechanismsat their disposal to encourage post-secondaryeducation institutions to collaborate moreclosely with the business community,cultivating partnerships and exchanges inorder to enhance institutional governance,curriculum development and communityengagement.Federal and provincial governments shouldencourage the creation of additional postsecondaryeducation co-op programs andinternship opportunities in appropriate fields,to ensure that more Canadians are equippedto meet future labour market needs and thatstudents gain experiences that help themmake the transition into the workforce.Governments should provide incentives andundertake measures to both attract moreinternational students to Canada’s postsecondaryinstitutions and send moreCanadian students on international studyexchanges.Governments should strive to increaseCanada’s global share of foreign students,and set a goal of doubling Canada’s numberof international students within a decade.Governments, post-secondary educationinstitutions and national post-secondaryeducation associations should undertakeregular evaluations, measure progress andreport publicly on improvements in business–academic collaboration, participation in co-opprograms, and the attraction and retention ofinternational talent.Reforms to Canada’s immigration systemshould place emphasis on immigration as aneconomic tool to meet our labour marketneeds, becoming more selective andresponsive in addressing labour shortagesacross the skills spectrum.Canada’s immigration system should developservice standards related to applications forstudent visas and temporary foreign workers,and should be more responsive to privateemployers and student needs by fast-trackingprocessing and providing greater certaintyregarding the length of time required toprocess applications.In order to ensure that Canada is able toattract and retain top international talent,and respond more effectively to privateemployers, Canada’s immigration systemshould fast-track processing of applicationsfor permanent residency under the newCanadian Experience Class for skilledtemporary foreign workers and foreignstudents with Canadian credentials andwork experience.”A-6