Compiled by Shawn Lawrence
Industry Canada
Q&A
with
Mark Schaan, Director of Industry Canada’s Pharmaceutical Sector Directorate
1.
Photo: Blair Gable
What is the Pharmaceutical Sector Directorate, Manufacturing and Life Sciences Branch and what is its mandate?
Industry Canada’s mandate is to help make Canadian industry more productive and competitive in the global economy, thus improving the economic and social well-being of Canadians. More specifically, the Department works to ensure that the Canadian market is efficient and competitive; that science and technology, knowledge, and innovation are effective drivers of a strong Canadian economy; and that competitive businesses are drivers of sustainable wealth creation. Within this, the Pharmaceutical Sector Directorate (PSD) provides industry analysis and policy advice to encourage innovation and to increase the competitiveness of Canada’s life science industry. In particular, PSD contributes to policies to advance commercialization for life science products and therapies and to retain and grow the life sciences footprint in Canada, including manufacturing, partnerships with academia and research centres, research and development, and small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
2.
Tell us a bit about your role as director, pharmaceutical sector directorate, manufacturing and life sciences branch?
PSD works with other groups within Industry Canada, with other federal departments, and with provincial governments on issues that affect the sector. We aim to be the centre of expertise on the industry in Canada, working to understand both global and domestic trends and their implications for industry in order to provide strategic advice to government on sectoral and industrial policies. Our position within the Manufacturing and Life Sciences Branch (MLSB) provides a unique platform for us to understand the linkages between life sciences and other industries. The breadth of MLSB’s scope, including steel, aluminum, machinery and equipment, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, business services, textiles, apparel, consumer products and emerging technologies, allows us to understand the shared opportunities and challenges between our sector and others. As well, we help drive a policy agenda that broadly supports general industrial competitiveness, including work on global value chains, and supports for commercialization.
3.
Is it wrong to assume your function is somewhat like a go-between for government and industry?
As public servants, one of our core roles is to provide professional, candid and frank advice to political decision-makers. This requires significant outreach to industry and other stakeholders in order to be informed and knowledgeable on the wide purview of sectoral issues – everything from overall industry trends to the technicalities of the impact of a specific regulation. We work September 2013 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS 15
