Industry committee  Could you repeat the last part of your sentence?

Industry committee  I think we agree in saying that productivity is one of the key factors of economic growth. That's especially the case in the manufacturing sector, but also in other sectors. Think of the retail industry and other sectors where productivity issues can result in a price drop with r

Industry committee  Some types of innovation lead to an increase in productivity, while others are less related to productivity. There are four major areas of innovation. One of them is product innovation. If I design a new telephone, that is a new product. Another area is process innovation, which

Industry committee  Thank you. Among the countries I've reviewed that provide voucher system programs for adoption of digital technology, some of them cover, more specifically, electronic commerce programs, for example, which are probably broader than those that would be accessible for a bunch of

Industry committee  Absolutely. I agree with you that those programs were somewhat piecemeal. The adoption of digital technologies is a means to an end. I think that the end we are trying to attain is greater productivity. The adoption of digital technologies is not the only way to get there, but i

Industry committee  In terms of the supply chain, you're talking more about web portals, about Internet services used in supply chain management. I guess 30 years ago you were managing your supply chain by taking the phone, sending a fax, making three carbon copies, or something like that. There was

Industry committee  There is certainly...and I'm not sure if it's just about R and D tax credits. I guess if you were entitled to this tax credit, you would claim it. I'm sure certain consultants would go though your files and maximize your return. Does that mean that...? Yes; probably, if they di

Industry committee  Yes. ICT in general refers to information and communication technology. In a business context, most of the time you would be referring to computers, the hardware and the data processing, and to telecommunications, the phones and other kinds of telecommunications devices. What y

Industry committee  It's not only in our membership but in general. In the Canadian economy 20 years ago, pretty much all the machinery and equipment that was bought was not necessarily related to ICT. Today about 50% of the machinery and equipment is actually related to ICT. More and more of the

Industry committee  That's what I was told. Thank you. I'm live and I'm not a robot. Thanks for inviting me. Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thanks for the opportunity to discuss the importance of the adoption of digital technologies among SMEs. For many SMEs, the adoption of digital tec

Natural Resources committee  Generally, in our sector, we welcome the Canada job grant because it puts the money in the hands of the businesses. In light of the skills shortage, we've been supporting it. It's very close to one of our recommendations in our pre-budget submission—to provide a tax credit. But i

Natural Resources committee  I'm not sure about “urgency”, but if there's a market window, there's a market window. If you can get a price that makes economic sense, you have to take advantage of it. We know from the past that natural resources in general are quite cyclical. What is new now is the innovati

Natural Resources committee  The general preferential tariff was a foreign aid program from 1974, aimed at providing developing economies with better access to industrialized countries. It hasn't been changed in 40 years. With the changes in the last budget, 72 or 74 countries will be taken off the list. We'

Natural Resources committee  I think you're right. First of all, natural gas is a very volatile sector pricing wise, as is the energy sector in general. So diversification would also add some security in terms of supply and pricing. Right now I would say that there is a strong economic case to produce in N

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for inviting me to appear before you in order to discuss the diversification of the Canadian energy market. First of all, I would like to congratulate you for embarking on this comprehensive study, which is essential for our economy.