Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains 'definitely' on same page as finance department
'You cannot have good ideas, you can't have innovation, you can't grow companies without people'
Navdeep Bains will not say what line items are in the upcoming federal budget, but he insists his department's investment priorities are in line with those who are holding the government's purse strings.
In an interview airing Saturday, Canada's minister of innovation, science and economic development said he and Finance Minister Bill Morneau are "definitely" on the same page.
"We have a great working relationship. I have a lot of trust and faith in his abilities. We get along really well. And we're definitely on the same page because our overall objective is to really grow the economy and create good quality jobs," he told CBC The House host Chris Hall.
"There's a great deal of alignment, not only with myself and Mr. Morneau, but this is very consistent with what the prime minister has been saying for many months now," he said.
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- Listen to CBC Radio's The House
After eliciting feedback and hosting roundtables across the country, Bains said his department is focusing on three areas.
"We're going to invest in people, we're going to invest in emerging technologies and we're going to help companies scale up," he said.
This summer the federal government launched public consultations to develop an innovation agenda. Bains says they are now moving towards firming up an action plan.
"We're really good at starting up companies, but where we do a poor job is scaling up," he said, referring to companies that require long-term capital funding.
Bains says the focal point of the government going forward will be to attract people, talent and help Canadians acquire new skills.
"You cannot have good ideas, you can't have innovation, you can't grow companies without people," Bains said.
"What really differentiates Canada is our people and our diversity and the fact that we actually have this process where we're saying, 'We're open to people. We're open to ideas,' sends a very powerful message."