Canada, U.S. can Work to be Innovation Leaders, Minister of State Goodyear says at Canada 2020 Innovation Conference

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 2, 2011) - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario), delivered a keynote address at the Canada 2020 innovation conference today. The two-day event drew business leaders, policy makers and academics from both Canada and the United States.

"Innovation is a broad North American endeavour, and expanding the frontiers of discovery depends on strong partnerships," said Minister of State Goodyear. "In an integrated North American economy, innovation on one side of the border has positive effects on the other. Never before has collaboration been so important to our two countries."

The conference, whose theme was "The Canada–U.S. Partnership: Enhancing the Innovation Ecosystem," drew a number of high-profile delegates including His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada; His Excellency David Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador to Canada; Ronald J. Daniels, President of Johns Hopkins University; and Feridun Hamdullahpur, President of the University of Waterloo, among others.

In his speech, Minister of State Goodyear outlined the Government of Canada's initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining the world's brightest researchers, investing in research and development and commercializing research. He also noted areas of common interest between the two countries, such as encouraging greater science and technology partnerships and bringing promising research ideas to the marketplace.

To learn more about the Government of Canada's science and technology initiatives, visit the Science and Technology for Canadians website (science.gc.ca).