As Canada approaches a federal election, the focus should be on economic growth that genuinely enhances the lives of Canadians. Canada’s GDP per capita has been declining, placing it last among developed countries in real GDP per capita growth over the past decade. This decline indicates that while the population has grown, prosperity has not kept pace. Stay informed and raise your expectations for a prosperous Canada.
Two recent articles provide crucial insights into the complexities of tariffs and global trade, offering guidance for Canada’s response. John Mauldin discusses the economic dangers of tariffs, highlighting how they can trigger inflation and recession. Jack Mintz advises Canada to engage strategically with the U.S., diversify trade relationships, and address internal trade barriers.
Mark Carney, a former advisor to the previous Prime Minister, has emerged as the successor for Leadership with the Liberal Party, despite concerns over his “elitist” views and lack of experience in managing an economy during a global financial crisis. Carney’s policies appear to be a continuation of his predecessor’s, with no original ideas for stimulating the Canadian economy. The country’s economic challenges remain unaddressed, and Carney’s ability to negotiate with international leaders, such as President Trump, is uncertain.
Shondell Sabad is a dynamic and visionary leader with a proven track record in the fields of finance, energy, trading, and business development.
Shondell is a Director at Andersen in Canada’s Enterprise Services division and as the President and CEO of Rainforest Energy, a forward-thinking clean energy company based in Calgary, Shondell is driving innovation and sustainability in the energy sector.
This time of the year I usually like to speculate on what may lie ahead for Alberta in 2025. However, Canada turned out to be ‘the neighbour who isn’t paying our share’ and everything got sidetracked by talk about the implementation of USA tariffs as high as 25 per cent on Canadian goods.
Cathie is an innovative award-winning professional in the glass industry. As an active co-founder, she has been a key member of the Goldray family since 1985. During this time, Cathie has managed all facets of the glass manufacturing business at Goldray – from research and development to finance, operations, marketing, and communications.
We will be closely reviewing the Competition Bureau’s Draft Guidelines in the coming weeks, and will be following the public consultation process more generally. However, our preliminary view is that the Draft Guidelines, if and when adopted, will do nothing to meaningfully clarify or limit the scope of the new provisions, and therefore will not in any way mitigate the significant restrictions on free expression imposed by the new provisions.
A Year in Review – The AEG Annual Report 2024
“Central to our work is AEG’s core belief that meaningful change comes from a broadnet work of influencers and proven decision-makers across every major industry inAlberta. Together, we know that we can achieve more. Our network allows businesses of all sizes to connect with Alberta’s business leaders and policymakers, providing them with a clear and informed view of the provincial landscape. This access enables businesses to stay knowledgeable about industry developments, legislative changes, and key economic trends impacting Alberta.” – Catherine Brownlee, President, Alberta Enterprise Group
Canadian Sustainability Standards Board Fails Canadians
Calgary – Catherine Brownlee, President of the Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG), made the following statement in response to the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) newly released sustainability and climate disclosure standards:
“We are disappointed that the CSSB seems to have conducted consultations with no regard for those that took the time to submit as part of the consultation process. This is a sham. The only changes made were to extend the relief of compliance by an additional year from what was proposed in the standards. It would seem there was never an intent to consider substantially modifing the standards for the Canadian context aside from extending the dates of compliance. It is shocking that none of the recommendations from the majority of stakeholder responses were included in the published standards.”
CALGARY – Earlier this week, the Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG) and the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) jointly filed a constitutional challenge against the federal government, over its new ‘Greenwashing’ law which unreasonably restricts free speech.
The challenge, filed in the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, targets sections 236 and 239 of Bill C-59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, which amended the Competition Act in ways that severely limit the business community’s ability to discuss environmental impacts. These provisions impose unreasonable restrictions on the dissemination of truthful and fair-minded information, striking at the heart of free expression and open debate in Canada.
