The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that the Mark Carney government rightly focuses on infrastructure like pipelines, ports and power grids. The Post's guest columnists Alice De Koning and Yrjo Koskinen write that Canada, however, cannot prosper by just shipping raw materials. While this approach has ensured stability, it lacks dynamism. To succeed in today's economy, Canada must advance up the value chain. The latest Global Innovation Index shows that Canada ranks 13th in innovation inputs, such as strong universities and research spending, but only 20th in outputs like patents and high-tech exports. The guest columnists say we excel at preparing but struggle with execution. The "innovation gap" accounts for Canada's lacklustre productivity. We invest in research but struggle to create profitable companies. Ideas often get scaled up abroad, and we lose our top graduates to U.S. companies. This is not just wasteful; it poses risks in a world where intangible assets drive wealth. Canadian business culture contributes to the problem by being risk-averse. Many firms underinvest in R&D, avoid bold bets and focus on incremental improvements, resulting in a steady stream of good but not great companies.