What does 2016 hold for Canadian science, technology and innovation (STI)? The new Liberal government has issued upbeat messaging about the importance of science but has so far been light on the specifics. The appointment of a science minister and promise of a chief science officer bode well for enhancing the visibility and status of science but there’s one very large catch.
There’s near unanimous agreement that there’s little fiscal room for boosting STI funding across the innovation spectrum, particularly after the implementation of top-priority Liberal pledges such as its middle-class tax cut. The fiscal cupboard appears to be nearly bare, with scant likelihood that the situation will improve any time soon.
Data show Canada falling behind its competitors in the amount of resources devoted to STI. This has contributed to the weakening of key tech sectors, sagging business R&D and the loss of 33,000 researchers between 2008 and in 2012 (R$, November 2/15). STI leaders are warning that, without more resources, Canada’s position will continue to deteriorate, as will its aspiration to raise our R&D-to-GERD ratio to the EU average.
So what to do? A simple action is to increase the GST by at least 1%. Each 1% increase injects approximately $8 billion into the treasury. A 2% increase would make $16 billion available for strategic investment in STI and other pressing priorities. Just think of the impact that kind of money could have on the STI ecosystem. Increasing the GST may be politically unpopular in the short term but its long term benefits are undeniable.
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