Evidence of meeting #60 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was connectivity.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
One project...? No, I'm not sure I could.
NDP
Kennedy Stewart NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
No suggestions? What does your smart cities report say? Because, obviously, I think this is a problem. The reason we rank so low on the innovation scale has largely to do with problems in our cities, I think. We have the universities and we have the infrastructure, but it doesn't seem that we're doing what other cities are doing to compete.
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Apart from infrastructure funding, similar to what was done in the past couple of years.... I think that's probably the best thing the federal government could do.
NDP
Kennedy Stewart NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Okay.
Also, how do you think a lack of connectivity affects productivity within a city?
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The tourism example came up. People expect to be able to be connected when they go to a city.
NDP
Kennedy Stewart NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Right, and would it deter tourism if they knew that they wouldn't be?
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Yes, I think it would. People don't want to go where they can't get their favourite shows or access their iTunes or their Facebook. If they can't do that, they won't go.
NDP
Kennedy Stewart NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Okay.
We often think about commuting reducing productivity, in that if you have to drive an hour to work, it takes that time out of the amount that you can actually produce in profits. I think about Internet connectivity. If you're running at half the speed that your competitor in Seoul is.... In Burnaby, we have tons of high-tech companies that are passing stuff along through the Internet and downloading things, especially in the movie industry, for example.
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Take something as simple as conference centres. Those centres have to be connected. Otherwise, you're not going to be experiencing conferences in those areas.
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Not that I'm aware of—
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
We're not looking at it.
NDP
Kennedy Stewart NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Right, so again, that's why it points to this idea of a digital strategy, perhaps. Is this something that the Chamber of Commerce recommends?
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Yes, absolutely.
NDP
Kennedy Stewart NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Okay. I'm conscious of my time here, but that would include, for example, something like just a monitoring of how we're doing. Would you do that on an urban basis or by municipalities or something?
Director, Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
It's not something that we've looked at doing as a study specifically, but it's something we would encourage.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
Thank you, Mr. Smith and Mr. Stewart.
Now we'll move on to Mr. Lake.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Smith, I listened to the conversation back and forth with the NDP, I'd be interested in pulling up their costing document from the 2011 election campaign—
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
I just want to get your opinion, if I could.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
No, no. Well, we can talk about the $21-billion carbon tax, but I'm pretty sure I know what your opinion is on that.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
As I noted in listening to the questions, it's interesting they do have $1.5 billion in spending on what they call “broadband for all”. It's part of $70 billion in increased spending over four years. One of the ways they were going to pay for that, of course, was the $21-billion carbon tax, but they also have a 30% increase in taxes on job creators. Taxes would raise from 15% to 19.5%, so 4.5 points divided by 15 would be a 30% increase—
I am interested in knowing what the Chamber of Commerce's position would be on a 30% increase in the corporate tax rate.
