CEO Mission to China Builds on Canada’s Strategic Partnership with the World’s Largest Emerging Market
Seventeen senior business leaders representing a wide swath of the Canadian economy will arrive in Beijing on Sunday for a five-day mission to further the development of stronger trade and investment ties between Canada and the People’s Republic of China. Organized by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), the mission marks the first purely private sector visit to China by a broadly based group of chief executives from among Canada’s largest enterprises. “Many of our members have friendships and commercial relationships in China stretching back years and in some cases decades,” said CCCE Chief Executive and President Thomas d’Aquino. “Since the Council several years ago designated China as a country of the highest strategic importance, we have continued to seek opportunities to build an ever-broader foundation of mutual trust and fruitful bilateral cooperation.” The mission is led by Mr. d’Aquino and Richard L. George, Chairman of the CCCE and President and […]
New Focus on Competitiveness is Welcome, but Canada Needs More Ambitious Strategy, Business Leaders Say
New measures on taxation, trade and innovation announced today in Finance Minister Ralph Goodale’s economic and fiscal update represent important first steps toward a more ambitious strategy for enhancing Canada’s productivity and competitiveness, says the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE). “The package unveiled today moves the competitiveness agenda forward, but Canada must go further and faster if we want to maintain and build on Canada’s success within a rapidly transforming global economy,” said CCCE Chief Executive and President Thomas d’Aquino. The CCCE, which is composed of the chief executive officers of 150 leading Canadian enterprises, welcomed several key measures that will contribute to a more competitive economy, including: Acceleration of the promised elimination of the federal capital tax by two years, to 2006 from 2008, in addition to the continuing commitment to legislate the corporate income tax cuts announced in February 2005; Promise of a new round of cuts in personal […]
Canadian and Japanese Business Leaders Meet to Advance Bilateral and Global Trade and Investment Talks
Canadian and Japanese Business Leaders Meet to Advance Bilateral and Global Trade and Investment Talks
APEC 2005 Korea – Opportunity for Renewal and Progress
APEC 2005 Korea – Opportunity for Renewal and Progress
International CEOs Urge Progress on Doha Negotiations During WTO Meetings in Geneva
World Business Leaders for Growth, an organization made up of six of the world’s leading business advocacy organizations, today called upon all World Trade Organization governments to commit to securing the conditions for a successful Hong Kong Ministerial meeting and, ultimately, a successful Doha Round outcome. The call was made by member chief executive officers who traveled to Geneva for a series of meetings with leading trade negotiators and ambassadors, including WTO Director General Pascal Lamy. “The Doha negotiations have gained significant momentum this week in Geneva with important new proposals now on the table. At long last, we believe a breakthrough is now possible,” said Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and CEO, The McGraw-Hill Companies and Chairman, Business Roundtable International Trade and Investment Task Force. “We urge all the WTO members to intensify their efforts and show real progress in the eight weeks remaining before the Hong Kong Ministerial.” […]
CCCE Strongly Rejects Linkage Between Softwood Lumber and Energy
The following statement was issued today by Thomas d’Aquino, Chief Executive and President of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE): Earlier this month, the Prime Minister delivered a speech to the Economic Club of New York in which he warned that the U.S. Administration’s approach to the softwood lumber dispute brings into question the integrity of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and threatens to set back the bilateral relationship. The Prime Minister’s message was clear and unequivocal. Regrettably, in the days since his speech, political spin has obscured the substance of his remarks. Anyone who was not present for his speech – I was there – would be forgiven for thinking that the Prime Minister had directly linked the softwood lumber issue to trade in energy. Media coverage has focused on the idea that Canada might retaliate against the United States by somehow limiting American access to […]
Immigration and Diversity: A Key Competitive Advantage for Canada
The following article appeared in the October 2005 issue of the CRIC Papers, no. 18 entitled Diversity in Canada, Regions and Communities by David Stewart-PattersonExecutive Vice PresidentCanadian Council of Chief Executives The 2005 survey by the Centre for Research and Information on Canada Diversity in Canada: Regions and Communities, conducted for the Canada Conference in Edmonton, shows that most Canadians believe that immigration is a big plus for our society and for our economy; and they are right on both points. Canada needs immigration because our existing population is aging. Only a continued strong flow of young and working-age immigrants can sustain the health care, pensions and social programs on which our seniors depend. Canadian communities benefit from the infusion of many cultures and backgrounds, from the creativity and know-how that people bring to our country and from the synergies that result when we stir ideas and attitudes from many […]
A Strategic Partnership at Risk: Softwood Lumber, North American Competitiveness and Respect for the Rule of Law
Published in the National Post, September 30, 2005. By Thomas d’AquinoChief Executive and PresidentCanadian Council of Chief Executives Canada and the United States share daunting challenges in an increasingly dangerous and competitive world. Our people face the relentless threat of international terrorism and of rogue states with no respect for human rights or the rule of law. Our enterprises in every industry face intense competitive pressures from new economic powers such as China and India. In this global context, bilateral trade in lumber is a sideshow, representing a small fraction of the half a trillion dollars in goods that cross the Canada-U.S. border each year. Yet this sector is the source of the longest-running and most bitter trade dispute between our countries. And the latest development in the softwood lumber saga threatens serious damage to the broad strategic interests of both countries. At issue is whether Canada can rely on […]
Walking a Tightrope: The Need for Balance in Canada’s Fiscal Strategy
Thank you for the opportunity to appear once again before this committee to discuss priorities for the next federal budget. I would like to make three points this morning. First, Canada’s business leaders are increasingly worried about Canada’s ability to sustain its strong economic performance. Second, the government needs to rein in the runaway growth in federal spending and achieve a better balance between new spending on social programs and reinvestment in economic growth. Third, lower taxes are an essential part of a successful strategy for improving Canada’s productivity and competitiveness. As Prime Minister Paul Martin recognized in a speech last week, Canada faces two particularly daunting challenges: at home in the form of an aging population; globally in the way countries like China and India are transforming the competitive landscape. All the good-news statistics of recent years — strong economic growth and job creation, trade and current account surpluses, […]
International CEOs Urge Progress on Doha Negotiations at Washington Summit
World Business Leaders for Growth, an organization established by six of the world’s leading business advocacy organizations, detailed plans today for a coordinated effort to advance the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). The first-ever Business Roundtable International CEO Economic Summit featured a videoconference with new WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, during which the business leaders stressed the vital importance of global economic development and urged global negotiators to raise, not lower, expectations in the Doha Round. “To enhance economic growth worldwide and successfully advance the Doha Development Agenda, WTO Member Governments must make the political commitment necessary to secure a balanced and ambitious agreement that serves the interests of developed and developing countries,” said Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and CEO, The McGraw-Hill Companies, and Chairman of Business Roundtable’s International Trade & Investment Task Force. “Director General Lamy understands the critical stage of the ongoing negotiations and welcomes the constructive participation […]
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