On October 30, the Maclean’s Ideas Summit brought together some of the country’s top thought leaders to discuss talk science and sovereignty at the MaRS Centre. Panellists from the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University and presenting sponsor Moderna Canada discussed how the nation can leverage an edge in scientific research into an economic strategy for sovereignty.

Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief of Maclean’s, giving the welcome address at the Maclean’s Ideas Summit: Education event.

*Maclean’s *editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford started the evening off with an introduction to the discussion, describing Canada’s position during the current moment of global realignment: “We are, as a country, redefining who we are, and redefining what sovereignty means.”

Jason Maghanoy, publisher of Maclean’s, introduced the panellists: Omar F. Khan, assistant professor of chemical engineering at U of T and Canada Research Chair in nucleic acid therapeutics; Stefan Raos, general manager of Moderna Canada; and Teresa Chan, dean and vice president of TMU’s new school of medicine. The Q&A kicked off with a discussion of new innovations in each of their fields, including mRNA drug development, personalized vaccine therapy and equity-first approaches to the medical curriculum. Conversation then turned to Canada’s advancements in scientific discovery, and how it could serve as a tool of nation building.

Canada’s Moment to Lead

As new technology rapidly emerges and the world’s power dynamics shift, the panellists agreed that Canada is primed to take a place at the forefront of global innovation. “Canada’s got the talent and capabilities to lead on the world stage” said Raos. “The question is, does the government, the institutions and the private sector have the will and desire to lead?” To secure a spot at the front, the panellists noted that Canada needs to foster a culture of entrepreneurship to keep our innovations here. That means casting off Canada’s tall-poppy syndrome and embracing the idea that a rising tide raises all ships, as Khan put it.

An Innovation Ecosystem

The panellists discussed how this cultural change could help Canada harness its position as a global innovation leader to secure our sovereignty. The experts agreed that one of the ways to motivate this change is through intentional investment in an end-to-end innovation ecosystem. This would keep every step of development, from discovery to implementation, inside Canada, and attract global investment into the country. Panellists brought up the lessons learned during the pandemic, when global supply chains disintegrated, and agreed that investing in a Canadian ecosystem could help secure our sovereignty and prepare the nation for the next global health disaster.

Educating for Tomorrow

Education came up several times as a key to Canada’s success. Canada is on the leading edge of AI innovation, but the panellists emphasized the need to train future generations to harness that advantage. They agreed that AI has the potential to drastically accelerate health-care discovery, but that depends on whether there’s a workforce with the skills to capitalize on the innovation. The conversation ended optimistically when Maghanoy asked the panellists to look toward the future, as Canada grapples with these issues of sovereignty and innovation. “I haven’t been this proud of being Canadian in a long time,” said Raos.