Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, October 12, 2016

 

Good morning, everyone!

I’d like to start with a question:

Are we innovative, or aren’t we?

As Canadians, I mean. Is this a nation of innovators, or is it not?

Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer. There are plenty of articles, reports and anecdotes to say both.

And what that tells me is that while Canadians are innovative, we lack a culture of innovation in Canada.

And I think that building that culture of innovation, with a focus on unleashing talent, will help us move beyond two per cent growth in Canada.

But first, let me define what I mean by innovation.

It’s not invention.

Innovation is an economic and social process, a means by which productivity is improved and better ways of organizing and operating are achieved as a society.

It’s about developing new ways of doing things and creating value—value that will stimulate growth.

Today, I want to share my six-step process for creating a culture of innovation in Canada, and thereby fostering growth.

One, let’s go global with learning and research.

Two, let’s turn Canada into a global talent hub.

Three, let’s support those who are being left behind.

Four, let’s raise our expectations for global excellence.

Five, let’s celebrate our achievements here at home.

And six, let’s put innovation at the core of talent development at every stage.

Simple, right?

Now I’ll elaborate.

First, going global in our learning.

We should encourage and help students spend at least some time abroad during their post-secondary studies.

Canada has a lot of room for improvement in this respect.

According to Universities Canada’s most recent survey, just over 3 per cent of Canadian undergraduates studied abroad during their degree.

They cited factors such as cost, curricula and lack of interest in or understanding of the benefits of international study as reasons why.

Compare our 3 per cent number with that of our Australian counterparts, 17 per cent of whom now study abroad at some point.

Australia’s success follows a concerted effort by a range of actors in that country.

Together, they’ve promoted the benefits of studying abroad, created opportunities and developed options for students that take account of barriers such as cost and time.

Given the strength of our public education system, I think we can go even further.

Why is this important?

Well, apart from the remarkable learning and experiences students bring back with them, international study is a two-way street.

Currently, Canada is not a top-tier global destination for foreign students. More Canadian students abroad will help to raise our profile and build global networks, which can only help us attract more international students.

It will also help us attract the best talent, which brings me to my second point:

Transforming Canada into a global talent hub.

I believe one area of real promise lies in nurturing, attracting and retaining talented people—Canadian and non-Canadian alike.

We have so many bright, creative and skilled people in this country.

And there are so many talented and entrepreneurial people out there in the world, just looking for a place to happen.

There are many avenues for improvement.

Consider the case close to home with NAFTA, for example.

Dominic Barton will be speaking this evening, and as he has pointed out, NAFTA could use a “jumpstart.”

We could do much more to recruit and retain the best North American talent.

We could simplify our immigration processes and ease restrictions on relocation and the flow of people.

We could be more strategic and focus on specific populations: Mexican graduates, for example, or Canadians living abroad.

We could improve workforce training to address skills gaps.

We could become more ambitious in our efforts to build a smart, caring and dynamic country—and get better at telling our story abroad.

We can do all of this with a view to improving the flow of talent into Canada and out to the world as talent ambassadors.

Last year, following the presentation of the inaugural Governor General’s Innovation Awards—more on that later—we held a forum on innovation, and one of our contributors was Neil Turok, Director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo.

Neil pointed out that the Perimeter Institute is home to a master’s program of 30 students, and that 21 nationalities from around the world are represented.

Think about that for a moment: 30 students, 21 nationalities!

That is an example of how Canada can be a beacon of learning for talent around the world.  

“Canada needs to become a magnet for talented young people,” Neil said. “The world needs special places where people can think about big questions.”

I share that view. Canada should be a place where people come together to study, discover and innovate.

We can only prosper as a result.

Now let me move to my third point: we must be a caring nation.

We have much to be proud of, but we also have a long way to go.

Let me focus again on education, which is so critical to all we seek to achieve.

A few years ago, the OECD released a study that ranked nations on access to education.

Specifically, it ranked the degree to which children met or exceeded the educational levels of their parents.

It’s a key marker of progress.

The rankings were measured in quintiles. For the top 80 per cent of students, Canada ranked number one in terms of how many children equaled or exceeded their parents’ level of education.

But for the bottom 20 per cent, we are in the bottom third.

This means a significant portion of our population has less access to education than their parents.

It means a significant part of the population is falling behind.

We can do better; we must do better. 

This is not just the right thing to do, but the bright thing, because we know that in today’s world, the only true prosperity is shared prosperity.

Fourth, let’s raise our expectations and compete for global excellence.

What do I mean by global excellence?

Simply that Canadians are competing for the world’s top prizes, no matter the discipline.

Just as we do in the Olympics, we should measure ourselves against the world’s best in all we do, to raise our game and to attract the world’s attention to Canada.

In fact, Canadian researchers have had a very good run of late. Last year, 24 Canadians won prestigious international awards and prizes in science, engineering, health, medicine, the social sciences and humanities.

That’s up from 11 awards in our baseline year of 2012!

This is important, because the cost and complexity of contemporary research often means we must collaborate globally.

Awards are also important in a globalized world, where competition for talent and resources is intense.

Nothing attracts and retains talent and resources better than success at the international level.

That’s why we’ve been working with Canada’s granting councils and other research and innovation partners on the Global Excellence Initiative, which aims to ensure the work of Canada’s most talented is nominated for the top international awards and prizes.

And as they say in hockey, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Fifth, I want to talk about celebrating our achievements here at home.

As I mentioned a moment ago, this year at Rideau Hall we presented the first-ever Governor General’s Innovation Awards to six deserving recipients.

Why did we do this?

We did it because we dream of a country that honours its most creative, compassionate and entrepreneurial citizens.

We did it because we dream of a country that celebrates those who create value, who build compassionate, inclusive communities and improve our quality of life.

We did it because we dream of a country that celebrates those who reject complacency and put their creativity and skills to use.

We want to strengthen the culture of innovation in Canada. Some of the world’s top innovators live among us, yet we don’t share our stories or highlight that fact enough. We want to do so widely, well beyond the confines of any particular innovation or technology community.

By celebrating and sharing their stories widely, we build that culture, we foster it. What we’re trying to do is help all Canadians embrace a culture that sees innovation as part of what makes us Canadian, part of our DNA.

By celebrating great innovation stories, we help people see what it means to create value, and to say, “I can do that, too.”

Another way to think of celebration is as a teaching tool. We want people to understand the good things that come of innovation, that change is a friend, not an enemy, and therefore to support initiatives that improve our lives and society. By celebrating a broad spectrum of creativity in Canada, we aim to show that innovation lies at the heart of human progress.

So my message to you is: find ways to encourage and honour excellence wherever you see it. Help us tell this story to all Canadians. Let’s strive to make innovation a pillar of Canadian culture.

Sixth and finally, let’s place innovation at the core of our talent development system.

What does that entail?

Well, it means everything I’ve just outlined and more.

Encouraging Canadians to view the world as their stage, while bringing the world to Canada.

Seeking out the most talented people and working hard to bring them to Canada.

Raising education levels and employment opportunities for the most vulnerable and marginalized Canadians.

Competing on the global stage with the world’s best.

Celebrating our achievements at home.

All these should infuse our talent development system at every stage of learning and work.

A culture of innovation doesn’t happen by accident, but by countless daily acts and sustained efforts over time. It happens because we make it happen. It happens because we believe that to be innovative lies at the heart of what it means to be Canadian. To ask, “How do we do things better?”—and then do just that—is part of the basic makeup of our country.

That is, after all, what all of you are doing here at this gathering today.

I thank all of you for your continued commitment to Canada’s growth and prosperity.

Have an enlightening summit.