If we want to guarantee our prosperity, security and way of life for future generations, we need to build on our expertise in the resource development industries to become a leader in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, blockchain and other industries that are shaping the future....

Resources are, by definition, finite. But human ingenuity is boundless, and talent is not our challenge.

For example, today’s artificial intelligence breakthroughs are built on machine learning algorithms pioneered at Canadian universities. Our researchers have played leading roles not just in artificial intelligence but in biotechnology, quantum computing, nuclear science, robotics and blockchain technologies.

Yet our venture capital industry is just five per cent the size of the U.S. We invest only 57 cents on the dollar in capital spending compared to our neighbours to the south. New business formation has flat-lined. GDP per capita has barely budged in a decade....