Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1545 - Why Canada Needs a “Made-in-Canada” Innovation Strategy

On The Brian Crombie Radio Hour, Brian is joined by Richard Gold, Professor of Law at McGill University and one of Canada’s leading thinkers on innovation, intellectual property, and economic strategy. Professor Gold argues that Canada keeps getting innovation wrong — not because we lack talent, but because we keep trying to copy the U.S. Instead, Canada needs a mission-driven, Made-in-Canada innovation strategy. In this wide-ranging discussion, they explore:• 🇨🇦 Why Canada needs a strategy built for its own strengths• 🏛️ The critical role of government direction, not just market forces• 🧠 How innovation ecosystems matter more than isolated startups• 🏢 The importance of anchor companies and strong regional clusters• 🎮 Opportunities in gaming, AI, energy, and mining as dual-use innovation engines• 🎓 Why underfunded universities are quietly holding Canada back• 📉 What’s missing from the latest federal budget — and why focus matters more than slogans This is a serious conversation about productivity, sovereignty, social capital, and how Canada moves up the value chain in practice — not just in theory.