May 5, 2015 – Ottawa – Industry Canada
With 50 billion smart devices estimated to be connected online by 2020, Canada must prepare for the enormous growth in wireless usage and emerging machine-to-machine technologies—an integral part of the Internet of Things.
This was the topic of discussion at the Wavefront Summits, an annual conference hosted by Wavefront, which had as its theme this year Mobilize the Enterprise: Increasing Performance, Productivity, Profitability. The Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), was at the conference today to speak about the Government of Canada's actions to encourage businesses to invest in research and development, which is critical to Canada's future and the long-term growth of its information and communication technologies (ICT) sector.
During his speech, Minister of State Holder highlighted the Government's commitment to position Canada as a global leader in business innovation through the renewed science, technology and innovation strategy. Under the strategy's innovation pillar, the Government is encouraging businesses to invest in research and development. Government measures encouraging such investment include cutting the corporate tax rate in half, signing 38 new trade agreements to provide wider access to markets and customers, and creating a concierge service to link businesses to federal innovation resources. The Minister of State also highlighted the Government's direct support for business innovation, including doubling its investment in the Industrial Research Assistance Program, which supports small and medium-sized businesses in Canada in developing and commercializing technologies.
Scott French
Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs
Office of the Minister of State (Science and Technology)
343-291-2700
Media Relations
Industry Canada
343-291-1777
media-relations@ic.gc.ca
