Let’s get practical about innovation

Re: Make automation key to Canada’s economy, Opinion, Feb. 6

We have been talking about amping up Canadian innovation for decades, almost as long as the oft-repeated calls to increase Canadian productivity. Some will argue for more support for innovative startups, others for expanded research support or more effective tech transfer mechanisms or for more highly qualified personnel and specialists.

Listen for it all: support for discovery, support for creation, support for development, support for application, et cetera. Calls for being more strategic and targeted will bring forth the critics of picking winners and losers. And where should the focus be: on the new emerging technologies, on the country’s existing strengths, on expanding upon on our natural advantages and resources economy?

Maybe it’s a good time to get down to a practical common sense business approach. Identify, acquire, adapt and apply existing technologies to what we can do better. It’s not so exciting as skating at the cutting edge, but there is certain benefit and minimal risk. A first to be second through wise acquisitions could be just what Canada needs now. Jim Reichert, Coquitlam