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Unlocking Innovation in Canada: Insights from Jess Sinclair of the Canadian Council of Innovators

Speaking with Digital Journal at the Launch Party during Innovation Week YYC, Sinclair, shared her thoughts on Alberta’s innovation ecosystem.

Photo by Sarah Coleman.
Photo by Sarah Coleman.

“There is a tremendous amount of momentum, says Jess Sinclair, Prairie Director for the Canadian Council of Innovators (CCI). “And my message to government right now is: let’s not squander that momentum, and let’s put some of the policies in place that are going to create some sustainability for the tech economy and for future innovators here.”

Speaking with Digital Journal at the Launch Party during Innovation Week YYC, Sinclair, shared her thoughts on Alberta’s innovation ecosystem and the broader challenges facing Canada’s economy. 

From the rise of tech in Alberta to the national need for stronger industrial innovation policies, Sinclair provided a clear-eyed look at where the province stands and needs to go.

Sinclair highlighted Alberta’s recent success, noting Calgary’s record-breaking capital attraction numbers, surpassing Vancouver for the first time. She also pointed out Alberta’s leadership in labour productivity and job creation, bringing people to the province in droves.

While Alberta’s progress is encouraging, Sinclair underscored the need for more robust policies to support the transition from startups to scale-ups. She noted that Canada lags behind others in labour productivity and innovation.

“It’s a big question, but I think Canada has systemically refused to ideate the innovation industrial policies that other jurisdictions have kind of done by reflex,” she explained. “We intervene in many other sectors of the economy, but when it comes to innovation, the economy of ideas, we think we want to let the market decide. But that’s not what our [OECD] peers are doing.”

Sinclair highlighted areas where Canada is falling short, including privacy legislation, intellectual property commercialization, and government procurement policies that often favour incumbent contractors over innovative solutions.

Sinclair emphasized that Canada needs to shift its mindset from a resource-based economy to one that prioritizes intellectual property and innovation as key drivers of growth.

“Many of our OECD peers that are superseding us in terms of labour productivity are exploring supply-side solutions like government procurement in support of domestic innovation,” she said. “They have clear strategies around intellectual property commercialization and are supporting patents at the early stage with real money.”

She also pointed out inefficiencies in programs like SR&ED, where too much funding is consumed by red tape and consultants instead of being directed toward entrepreneurs. “We know that we that we lose one quarter of our top STEM grads in Canada and it’s because frankly, the opportunity in certain contexts is not here,” Sinclair said.

Where do we go from here?

When asked for a report card on the prairies, Sinclair pointed to the region’s strong entrepreneurial spirit and the desire among governments to support technology. However, she emphasized that success depends on exploring granular policies that will enable companies to scale.

“It’s just about exploring the more granular pieces that are really going to take our larger ecosystem to the next level,” Sinclair said.

Curious about how Canada can tackle innovation challenges, retain top talent, and create a thriving tech economy? Watch the full interview with Jess Sinclair for insights into the policy shifts and actions needed to take innovation to the next level.

Click below to watch the full interview. 

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Written By

Chris is an award-winning entrepreneur who has worked in publishing, digital media, broadcasting, advertising, social media & marketing, data and analytics. Chris is a partner in the media company Digital Journal, content marketing and brand storytelling firm Digital Journal Group, and Canada's leading digital transformation and innovation event, the mesh conference. He covers innovation impact where technology intersections with business, media and marketing. Chris is a member of Digital Journal's Insight Forum.

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