I'll answer your question first.
To answer your first question, on whether a patent is used as a competitive advantage, it doesn't exist in isolation. It's part of the broader issues on the table. Most countries are larger than Canada in terms of market size, so in terms of attracting talent, capital, and innovation, the patent is only one piece.
They do offer an easier patenting process. When I was in the private sector, we patented in the U.S., in European countries, and in Japan before we came back to Canada to patent it, because the markets were larger, they provided the incentive, and it was easier to get done.
It's part of a broader piece, not done in isolation, that's used as a strategy to attract. There are several things at play now.