BY: NAVDEEP BAINS, MINISTER OF INNOVATION, SCIENCE, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA

As the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development of Canada, I’m consulting all Canadians for suggestions on what is it that my cabinet position does and how it improves Canada.

Now my first guess was within the title of my portfolio: ‘innovate’. That’s a real fun word to say and I can understand why Prime Minister Trudeau created the portfolio. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word ‘innovation’ (ɪnəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/) is a mass noun defined as the action or process of innovating. Of course we need innovation and innovative people in this country, but what exactly does that mean?

I was even more confused since Kristy Duncan covers the science stuff as she is the Science Minister, and Bill Morneau covers the economic stuff as he is the Minister of Finance. So that leaves me with innovation.

Over the past 16 months, I’ve experimented with a few approaches in attempting to innovate things. I’ve watched a lot of TedxTalks, rearranged my office so it accords with the right feng shui, and colour-coding my briefing notes according to subject. Still, I didn’t see much of a change.

As a last resort, I would enter random Canadian businesses and yell ‘innovate!’ as loud as I could so all of the employees could hear me, but it never seemed to get people motivated.

Sure, I get paid $252,000 a year and had a while to think about it, but I’m fresh out of ideas. So if you have any wild guesses of what a Minister of Innovation should be doing, please shoot me an email.