Industry committee  Thank you, Mr. Ehsassi, for the question. I do. I actually think it was a very strong approach. The government recognized early on that this was going to be a very fast moving space and that it did not have the expertise and the depth to quickly identify where the really promis

Industry committee  It sure seems to be. Look at how many potential candidates were out there and the new types of technologies. I understand that the contracts we signed are with the seven that showed the greatest promise, not the least of which are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Coming shortly

Industry committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you very much for this important, and obviously, very timely opportunity to provide some perspectives from BIOTECanada. By way of introduction, BIOTECanada is the national association representing Canada's biotech sector. Our members are 240-plus.

Agriculture committee  There are a couple of pieces there that I would like to discuss. One is the opposition, as I'll call it. Instead of the “anti” group, I'll call it the opposition. I came to BIOTECanada from the forest products industry. That's where I was for eight years, doing policy and trade

Agriculture committee  From that sense, I don't know the answer to that. It's early stages. I was remiss not to point it out. You may have seen it just last week, but United Airlines sent a plane from San Francisco to Munich—

Agriculture committee  —and 30% of the fuel on that flight was Agrisoma fuel. Earlier in the year, Qantas Airways did likewise from Melbourne to Los Angeles, and I think it was the same mix. There are a couple of challenges for sure. One is whether you can produce enough to meet the growing demand. I

Agriculture committee  That's right. When it comes to aviation, it's unlikely the airlines are going to pay more unless there's an incentive to do so. The incentive can be public reputation, and there's certainly a price that you can put on that. However, when you move into the world of carbon taxes an

Agriculture committee  Certainly transparency is key. Is it up to government only? No, absolutely not. The government plays a very important role once this technology gets to a point where you're ready to put it into the population. Then, yes, you have a regulatory responsibility to take a look at that

Agriculture committee  Absolutely, it's a common refrain we've heard from some of our companies. From both examples I gave you, whether it's the mustard seed into jet fuel or the non-browning apple, both of those companies went through long regulatory processes that they felt were probably too long.

Agriculture committee  My only comment is that I think it's absolutely imperative that we go there. As to the earlier question from Mr. Berthold, I understand the trepidation. There is some fear out there. This is science and it is advancing very quickly, so it's very prudent for us to make sure we get

Agriculture committee  You are quite right: it's a big challenge. It's one of the biggest challenges of the industry. We're great at innovation. We have great science that comes out of our universities. We have these fantastic ideas. Then, what do they do? They go. They go to other countries for a nu

Agriculture committee  I'll answer you in English, so that I can be more precise. That's entirely correct. These are fantastic innovations. They are based in science. They are moving very rapidly. Generally speaking, people are always hesitant about new things that seem incomprehensible. In our case

Agriculture committee  Absolutely. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the committee for this fantastic opportunity to testify on this very important subject. I understand this is your last hearing. Hopefully we can help out at the very last day and get you on the road with some great suggestions. I

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the committee for this important opportunity, at a fairly critical time for this industry, to provide testimony. By way of introduction, BIOTECanada is the national trade association representing Canada's biotech industry. That includes th

Agriculture committee  Our history of innovation, particularly in the genetics space, is well known. It's generating phenomenally exciting solutions for global challenges. We're well positioned. We have a great university system. We have great scientists. We have a history of doing this. We have a fa