Stephen Downes

Alex Usher writes that Canada's government can't develop the 'knowledge economy' because it is unable to develop talent, narrowly defined here as "people with very specific talents to spread technology – tinkerers and experimenters, basically." While the government is focusing in recruiting star talent and funding specific companies, Usher writes, it should be "importing it or developing... the most talented people in the labour force, making private industry more productive." How that would work, exactly, is a puzzle. But it's a wrongheaded approach in any case. Private industry is what emerges after the innovation has occurred. It doesn't take the risks; it just eats the profits. To develop a nation of "tinkerers and experimenters" you need a lot of freedom and a lot of economic stability, including a safety net, so people can take risks and pursue their ideas. I personally see a lot of that in Canada, including in this country's pioneering work in AI. Sure, we're much less focused than some countries on privatizing and monetizing the results. But in many cases, that's a good thing.