Innovation Canada: A Call to Action

Leadership for Innovationinnovation, would have financial authority overthe federal contributions to the evolved NRCinstitutes through management of relatedfunding agreements (Recommendation 4.3 inChapter 7).OversightThe innovation support system implemented bythe Government of Canada should have clearobjectives, with measurable outcomes andresults. Regular whole-of-governmentevaluation is needed to ensure an outcomedrivenapproach. This evaluation should ensurethat the federal program funding is always ableto shift resources from programs that are nolonger effective to those that serve newpriorities and needs in the innovation system.There should be regular public reports on theoutcomes of individual programs and on thesystem-wide performance of the innovationpolicies.To give effect to these principles, the Panelrecommends the following.6.2 Whole-of-government advice —Transform the Science, Technology andInnovation Council (STIC) to become thegovernment’s external Innovation AdvisoryCommittee (IAC), with a mandate toprovide whole-of-government advice onkey goals, measurement and evaluation ofpolicy and program effectiveness, therequirement for new initiatives respondingto evolving needs and priorities goingforward, and all other matters requiring afocussed external perspective on thegovernment’s innovation agenda. The IACshould act though through two standingsubcommittees: a Business InnovationCommittee (BIC) and a Science andResearch Committee (SRC).At present, the STIC, reporting to the Ministerof Industry, provides policy advice to thegovernment on issues related to science,technology and innovation. The Panel proposesto transform and broaden that mandate toencompass whole-of-government advice oninnovation goals related to business, scienceand social innovation, as well as all aspects ofbusiness innovation policy and programming —for example, benchmarking, measurement andcomparative evaluation of existing policies andprograms across federal departments, as well asadvice on the need for new programs and newareas of focus for Canadian innovation. Unlikethe STIC, whose policy advice is confidential, thenew IAC’s advice should be made public.In taking on this broadened mandate, the IACwould be assisted by two standingsubcommittees — the SRC, focussed on“supply-push,” and the BIC, focussed on“demand-pull.” The BIC membership wouldinclude a cross-section of business leaders, thegranting councils and representatives of theinstitutes formerly of the NRC, and would drawon the advice of Canadian and internationalexperts on innovation policies. The BIC couldplay an important role in advising the proposedIRIC on appropriate metrics, indicators andmethodologies to guide the IRIC’s role as abusiness-facing, demand-driven nationalprogram delivery agency (recallRecommendation 1.1 in Chapter 5). To ensureefficient use of resources, the IAC’ssubcommittees could co-include existingmembers of the governing councils of SSHRC,NSERC and CIHR, as well as IRIC, once it isestablished. Over time, all relevant advisoryfunctions across the government should also beconsolidated into the IAC and its twosubcommittees to the greatest extent possible.8-5