It’s a fairly safe bet that — barring a dramatic change in voting patterns — Canada will emerge after January 23rd with another minority government. Whether that government is Liberal or Conservative could have a major bearing on the future direction and success of the national innovation agenda.

Call it the Terry Matthews credo: in high tech, timing is everything and there’s no future for companies that aspire to be number two. As the founder of several successful high tech companies, Matthews knows what he’s talking about.

There’s nothing like the prospect of a closely fought election to prompt Ottawa to disgorge a flood of programs, policy positions and strategic frameworks. With the exception (at press time) of the interim report of the Commercialization Task Force, there’s been a remarkable flurry of S&T-related initiatives.

It’s difficult to over estimate the mounting anticipation for the report from Industry Canada’s Expert Panel on Commercialization. At stake is no less the next major component of Canada’s transition to a knowledge-based economy and our future as a small nation seeking to secure a prosperous place in the global economy.

Working below the radar is often an effective approach to making progress on complex, politically sensitive issues that require negotiation, frank debate and compromise. The downside for any individual or organization is a lack of public profile and the perception that there are few results to show for time and effort.

It’s encouraging to learn that there are renewed efforts to increase the collaborative capacity of science-based federal departments and agencies, and bolster their aging infrastructure (see page 3).

Industry minister Dr David Emerson is on a national speaking tour, essentially delivering the same speech across Canada extolling the virtues of a knowledge-based economy and his plans for innovation and S&T.

After years of delays, the prospect of decisive federal measures to boost commercialization and innovation appear to be imminent. All signs point to a concerted plan of action as Ottawa prepares for a fall unveiling of several initiatives designed to enhance Canada’s productivity and competitiveness.

Leaving aside extenuating circumstances, efforts to craft and implement a viable, effective commercialization strategy for Canada are taking an awfully long time. Four years after the federal government announced it was developing an innovation strategy, we’re still waiting for something that will enable this country to leverage its investment in research and core institutions into useful and/or marketable products and services.

Decisions by governments at all levels to turn their sights toward enhancing industrial innovation is a welcome development that’s coming not a moment too soon. The numbers are there for all to see — Canadian business, large and small, are falling short of the yardsticks being placed by their more aggressive counterparts in other nations.