In its report to the federal government, the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) recommended increasing funding for fast-growing companies, improving access to skilled foreign workers, increasing efforts to upskill workers for in-demand jobs, as well as focusing more on government procurement of local technology and patenting research to help reap the long-term benefits of COVID-19-related inventions. (The Logic)

Talking point: The CCI, chaired by Jim Balsillie, outlines opportunities Canada has missed in its response to the pandemic—like using local fintechs to distribute relief funding—and how it can avoid pitfalls going forward by prioritizing made-in-Canada technology over that of foreign corporations. The report raises many of the same concerns CCI had before COVID-19 was a factor. However, the pandemic has heightened the group’s sense of urgency to fix what it sees as shortcomings in the Canadian innovation landscape.