--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/developing-an-inclusive-innovation-agenda-for-canada/" title: "Developing an Inclusive Innovation Agenda for Canada" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T12:42:23+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T12:42:23+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "clusters" - "education and training" - "inclusive innovation" - "inclusiveness" - "innovation policy" - "public investment" - "regulation" - "small business" country_focus: - "Multi-country" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Fiscal Policy" - "Technology and Innovation" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Developing an Inclusive Innovation Agenda for Canada Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/developing-an-inclusive-innovation-agenda-for-canada/ # Developing an Inclusive Innovation Agenda for Canada [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-18-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Murray, Alexander. 2016. “Developing an Inclusive Innovation Agenda for Canada.” CSLS Research Report 2016-18. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/developing-an-inclusive-innovation-agenda-for-canada/ ## Author: - Alexander Murray Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2016-18 December 2016 103 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? Andrew Sharpe December 1999 | Report 1999-03 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/apprenticeship-in-canadaa-training-system-under-siege/) [A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Andrew Sharpe July 1999 | Report 1999-cprn | 72 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/) [Creating a More Efficient Labour Market Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2001 | Report 2001-02 | 147 pages](https://csls.ca/research/creating-a-more-efficient-labour-market/) [The Impact of the National Child Benefit Supplement on the Low Income Status of Canadian Families with Children: The SPSD/M Results Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2002 | Report 2002-01 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-impact-of-the-national-child-benefit-supplement-on-the-low-income-status-of-canadian-families-with-children-the-spsd-m-results/) [Productivity Trends in Natural Resources Industries in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01a | 69 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-natural-resources-industries-in-canada/) [Productivity in the Forest Products Sector: A Review of the Literature Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-02 | 28 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-in-the-forest-products-sector-a-review-of-the-literature/) [An Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01b | 64 pages](https://csls.ca/research/an-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-canada/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn Inclusive innovation requires that opportunities for participation in innovation be broadly available and that the benefits of innovation be broadly shared. This report considers a number of innovation policy reforms through the lens of this dual emphasis. For policies that would facilitate both innovation and inclusiveness, there is a strong case for implementation. Policies that might promote innovation at the expense of inclusiveness would require that the trade-off be managed or mitigated. Education and training is a potential area of complementarity between inclusiveness and innovation because a highly skilled population is an important facilitator of both. Clusters pose a potential trade-off between the goals of innovation and inclusion, which must be taken into account in the context of policies aimed at supporting their development. There is no strong case for subsidizing small businesses generally. Instead, targeted support should be provided to help growth-oriented small firms to grow. The scope for further regulatory improvement to enhance innovation may be limited, given what Canada has already done in recent decades. But room for improvement still exists in terms of foreign investment barriers and the speediness and accessibility of the legal system. Government investment can play a productive role in an inclusive innovation system; the government should increase direct funding for basic research, especially in clean energy technology. L’innovation inclusive exige que les possibilités de participer à l’innovation soient largement accessibles et que les retombées de l’innovation soient largement partagées. Ce rapport examine un certain nombre de réformes de politique d’innovation à travers le prisme de ce double objectif. Pour les politiques qui favoriseraient à la fois l’innovation et l’inclusion, leur mise en œuvre se justifie clairement. Les politiques susceptibles de promouvoir l’innovation au détriment de l’inclusion exigeraient que ce compromis soit géré ou atténué. L’éducation et la formation constituent un domaine potentiel de complémentarité entre l’inclusion et l’innovation, puisqu’une population hautement qualifiée favorise les deux. Les grappes industrielles présentent un compromis potentiel entre les objectifs d’innovation et d’inclusion, dont il faut tenir compte dans le contexte des politiques visant à soutenir leur développement. Rien ne justifie fortement de subventionner les petites entreprises de façon générale. Un soutien ciblé devrait plutôt être offert pour aider les petites entreprises axées sur la croissance à se développer. La marge de manœuvre pour de nouvelles améliorations réglementaires favorisant l’innovation pourrait être limitée, compte tenu de ce que le Canada a déjà accompli au cours des dernières décennies. Cependant, il subsiste une marge d’amélioration en ce qui concerne les obstacles à l’investissement étranger ainsi que la rapidité et l’accessibilité du système juridique. L’investissement gouvernemental peut jouer un rôle productif dans un système d’innovation inclusif; le gouvernement devrait accroître le financement direct de la recherche fondamentale, particulièrement dans les technologies énergétiques propres. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-18-1.pdf)