PAST EVENT | CANADA WEST FOUNDATION 50th ANNIVERSARY Virtual Event
The Future of the Federation
Canada West Foundation Virtual Event
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
(This event was not recorded)
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Canada is not an easy country to govern. Our diversity is both our biggest strength and our biggest challenge.
While many Canadians share the belief that a federal system is the right one for a country as diverse as we are, we struggle to find shared strength in our diversity.
We are delighted to invite you to join us for a special Canada West Foundation 50th anniversary event on the Future of the Federation. We have assembled high-profile leaders who have governed in this country and who are no longer in the political fray to field questions from thoughtful Western Canadians about how to make Canada work. Our panel will share what they have learned and provide insights into how we can work together to achieve the economic and social potential of Canadians in all parts of the country.
FEATURING:
The Right Hon. Stephen J. Harper, Prime Minister of Canada (2006-2015)
The Hon. Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba (1999-2009) and former Canadian Ambassador to the United States
The Hon. Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia (2001-2011), Mayor of Vancouver (1986-1993) and former Canadian High Commissioner to the UK.
HOSTED BY:
Canada West Foundation President & CEO Gary G. Mar
WITH QUESTIONS FROM:
Dr. Dwight Newman, Professor of Law and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Rights in Constitutional and International Law, University of Saskatchewan
The Hon. Karen Sorensen, Senator – Alberta (the Alberta Rockies)
Mariette Mulaire, President and CEO, World Trade Centre Winnipeg
Mark Podlasly (Nlaka’pamux Nation, Cook’s Ferry Band), Director Economic Policy, First Nations Major Projects Coalition
These are not easy times. Climate change issues, the role of Indigenous rights and reconciliation, ongoing transformation of our economy due to technological and environmental change that will seriously affect our workforce, and rebuilding an economy battered by the pandemic are only some of the challenges shaping the future of the federation. Meanwhile, old political battles over federal-provincial fiscal relations, frustrations with the West’s place in Confederation and a lack of trust in how decisions that affect us are made, have reared up once again. All this in a time when polarization – over vaccines, political affiliation and regional differences, to name a few – dominates the public discourse.
For all the discontent, there is optimism too. Polling shows that Canadians have confidence in our ability to resolve our internal differences and that hasn’t changed.
One thing we have in common is that we are all looking for solutions.
Join us and Canadians across the West and all of Canada for a special one-hour conversation on the Future of the Federation.
Please note this event will be held under Chatham House Rule. This event is closed to media.
Space is limited.
REGISTRATION BY DONATION
The Future of the Federation is a fundraising event for Canada West Foundation’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Registration is by donation to Canada West Foundation. Please select Register to sign up and access your Zoom link, and Donate to donate.
We know everyone’s circumstances differ – whether you can give a little or a lot – it all makes a big difference to our ability to be a strong advocate for the West. If you value the work of the Canada West Foundation we invite you to invest in the West with us.
DONATE
THE FUTURE OF THE FEDERATION featuring:
The Right Hon. Stephen J. Harper
For nearly a decade The Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper led Canada through the world’s most complex geopolitical, economic and security challenges as the country’s 22nd Prime Minister. He created the modern Conservative Party of Canada, won three successive national elections, and was the longest serving Conservative Prime Minister since Canada’s founding Prime Minister in 1891.Since leaving office in 2016, Mr. Harper founded and is Chairman and CEO of Harper & Associates, a global consulting and investment advisory business, and a Director of Colliers International Group Inc. and Recover Inc. He is also the recent author of “Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption”, and a frequent speaker on geopolitical trends, populism, and business.Mr. Harper serves as Chairman of the International Democrat Union and the Friends of Israel Initiative. He has bachelor and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Calgary, an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University and an honorary degree from theJerusalem College of Technology. He is a Companion of the Order of the Canada and the recipient of numerous international recognitions, including the Order of Liberty, Ukraine’s highest civilian honour.
The Hon. Gary Doer
Gary Doer was the 23rd Canadian Ambassador to the United States and former Premier of Manitoba. Mr. Doer won three consecutive elections as Premier of Manitoba. In 2005, he was named by Business Week magazine as one of the top 20 international leaders on climate change. His government introduced balanced budgets during each of his 10 years in office. As Premier, he led strategic investments in health care, education and infrastructure. Mr. Doer was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States in 2009. During his six year tenure, he worked with leaders in both Canada and the US at the state and federal level to ensure Canada’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and helped to negotiate a presidential permit for the construction of the Detroit-Windsor Bridge. He is currently volunteering as Co-Chair of the Wilson Centre’s Canada Institute, based in Washington, DC.
The Hon. Gordon Campbell, O.C., OBC
Canada’s High Commissioner to The United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (2011-2016), Commonwealth Board of Governors (2011-2016) and Canada’s special envoy the Ismaili Imamat (2014-2016). B.C.’s 34th Premier (2001-2011), he led the re-establishment of B.C.’s AAA credit rating. The Campbell government climate policy has been described as “the best climate policy in the world” in the New York Times. He took historic steps to build a New Relationship with First Nations in British Columbia and Canada. He was the 40th Mayor of Vancouver (1986-1993 and Chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now called Metro Vancouver) (1990-1993). He received the Canadian Olympic Order, the Modern Makers of Canada Award for Excellence and the Corporate Knights Award of Distinction, is an Officer of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia.
Moderated by:
Gary G. Mar, Q.C.
Gary Mar was named President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation in April 2020. An accomplished and respected leader, Gary brings deep experience in government and business, and established expertise in natural resources, trade and investment and human capital. Prior to joining CWF, Gary served as President and CEO of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC). Gary served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Province of Alberta from 1993-2007 where he held several Cabinet portfolios – Community Development; Health and Wellness; Education; Environment; and International and Intergovernmental Relations. He has also served as the Official Representative (Minister-Counselor) of the Province of Alberta at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C., the Province of Alberta’s Representative in Asia from 2011 to 2015 and as an independent consultant for Chinese and Canadian companies seeking assistance with trans-Pacific trade and investment.
With questions on topics specific to Confederation from:
Dr. Dwight Newman, Professor of Law and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Rights in Constitutional and International Law, University of Saskatchewan
Dwight Newman is a Professor of Law and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Rights in Constitutional and International Law at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Newman has also taught during visiting terms at Alberta and McGill, and he has been a recent visiting fellow at Princeton, Université de Montréal Faculté de Droit, Cambridge, and Oxford. In 2017 he became a member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada, and in 2018 he was designated a Queen’s Counsel (QC). Dr. Newman is a Munk Senior Fellow of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and he served as an expert member of the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on Implementation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. His writings on constitutional law and Indigenous rights law are widely cited in judicial opinions. Dr. Newman previously clerked for Chief Justice Lamer and Justice LeBel at the Supreme Court of Canada, worked for NGOs in South Africa and Hong Kong and for the Canadian Department of Justice, and completed his graduate studies at Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.
The Hon. Karen Sorensen, Senator – Alberta (the Alberta Rockies)
Karen Sorensen is an accomplished community leader with experience working with all orders of government and the private sector. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Sorensen was serving her third term as Mayor of Banff and had served as a Banff Town Councilor for two terms before. At the municipal level, Ms. Sorensen served as Chair of the Town of Banff’s Governance and Finance Committee and on the Banff Lake Louise Tourism Board. She also contributed to the town’s Environmental Master Plan, Community Plan, co-chaired the Bow Valley Human-Wildlife Coexistence Round Table, and participated in the creation of the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission, on which she also served. In addition, she supported her community through the Alberta flood of 2013, the wildfires across the province in 2017, and the global COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to her political career, Ms. Sorensen enjoyed 25 years working in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Mariette Mulaire, President and CEO, World Trade Centre Winnipeg
Mariette Mulaire is the founding President and CEO of the World Trade Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba’s leading trade organization since its official opening in April 2013. She has spent most of her career developing economic and trade initiatives as founding President and CEO of three economic development organizations that have been key to Manitoba’s growth. Furthermore, she spearheaded the creation and hosting of Centrallia, the first international B2B forum of its kind in Western Canada. Mariette is Vice-Chair of the World Trade Centers Association Board of Directors and the Chair of the WTCA Executive Committee. She brings a unique trade perspective as Director on the boards of the Bank of Canada, the Canada West Foundation as well as TV5 Canada-Québec. Mariette was co-chair of the Canada Summer Games 2017 Host Society and spokesperson for Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, she was named one of the top 10 most influential Canadian Francophones by Francopresse.
Mark Podlasly, (Nlaka’pamux Nation, Cook’s Ferry Band), Director Economic Policy, First Nations Major Projects Coalition
Mark Podlasly (Nlaka’pamux Nation) provides strategic advice at the intersection of Indigenous-corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment issues. He is the Director of Economic Policy and Initiatives at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, a national 75+ Indigenous nation collective that seeks ownership of major projects such as pipelines, electric utilities and mining support infrastructure. He is also the Chair of the First Nations Limited Partnership (Pipelines), a 16-First Nations $500 million commercial partnership with Chevron/Woodside’s Kitimat LNG project, and an Adjunct Professor at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. In addition, Mark informs Indigenous governments on the establishment and management of sovereign wealth funds/trusts to capture and invest revenue from resource extraction industries. Mark holds a master’s degree from Harvard University and is a regular speaker at global business and governance events including the International Finance Corporation’s annual sustainability conference in Washington, DC.
REGISTRATION BY DONATION
The Future of the Federation is a fundraising event for Canada West Foundation’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Registration is by donation to Canada West Foundation. Please select Register to sign up and access your Zoom link, and Donate to donate.
We know everyone’s circumstances differ – whether you can give a little or a lot – it all makes a big difference to our ability to be a strong advocate for the West. If you value the work of the Canada West Foundation we invite you to invest in the West with us.
Canada West Foundation Virtual Event
The Future of the Federation
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
DONATE
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