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Canada’s Innovation Strategy
Skills and Learning
February 12, 2002
Our government launched today Canada’s innovation strategy with the release
of two complementary papers titled Achieving Excellence: Investing in People,
Knowledge and Opportunity and Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for
Canadians.
This marks another significant step towards fulfilling the commitment made in
the 2001 Speech from the Throne to equip Canadians with the cutting edge skills
and learning they will need to prosper and realize their unique potential, and
to brand Canada as one of the most innovative nations in the world.
Canada’s innovation strategy rests on the principle that in the knowledge
economy, prosperity depends on innovation which, in turn, depends on the
investments that we make in the creativity and talents of our people.
This is why we must invest not only in technology and innovation but also
support an environment of inclusion, in which all Canadians are equipped with
the tools they need to fully participate in our economy and society.
The papers propose a series of national goals and milestones that will mark
our progress over the next decade. We will be working closely with the provinces
and territories, business, labour, scholars, Aboriginal leaders, the voluntary
sector and individual Canadians to develop the innovation strategy that will
allow us to reach our goals.
Over the coming months, our government will be holding consultations across
Canada. We urge Canadians to read the discussion papers and to participate in
the consultation process. They can also visit www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca
and submit their comments online.
Skills and Learning
Our government believes that people are Canada’s greatest resource and that
Canadians – their skills, talents, knowledge and creativity – are the key to
our future success.
The knowledge-based economy means an ever-increasing demand for a
well-educated and skilled workforce in all parts of the Canadian economy. We
know that our country is already facing skills shortages in a range of
occupations. This trend will only worsen with the demographic crunch we see as
babyboomers retire.
As a result, if we are to meet the skills and labour force demands for the
next decades, we must develop a national agenda. This is precisely what
Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians proposes to do through a
series of goals and milestones that include:
Giving our children and youth the best possible start in life by
improving children’s level of achievement in mathematics, science and
reading; increasing computer and Internet literacy; improving children’s
literacy; and increasing the rate of bilingualism among high school
graduates.
Ensuring that all qualified Canadians have access to high-quality post-secondary
education by giving high-school graduates better opportunities to
participate in post-secondary education; increasing the proportion of adults
with post-secondary credentials; increasing the number of apprentices
completing a certification program; and increasing admission of Masters and
PhD students.
Ensuring that Canada’s current and emerging workforce is more highly
skilled and adaptable by increasing the number of adult learners; seeing
businesses increase their investments in training; and improving the
literacy level of adult Canadians.
Ensuring Canada continues to attract highly skilled immigrants and helps
them achieve their full potential in Canadian society and labour market by
increasing the proportion of adult immigrants with a post-secondary
education; and reducing the income gap between immigrant and Canadian-born
workers of comparable skills and education.
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