Notes for a Speech by Thomas d’Aquino to the World Affairs Council in Denver, Colorado
The following is an excerpt from notes for a speech by Thomas d’Aquino, President and Chief Executive of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), to the World Affairs Council in Denver, Colorado, April 7, 2004: “In a few weeks, Prime Minister Paul Martin and President George W. Bush will sit down in Washington to discuss relations between our two countries. When they do, I hope they will consider what polls have been telling us for some time: that 15 years after the launch of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, a strong majority of citizens in both countries not only support freer trade, but want more of it. “In Canada, we’ve seen a remarkable transition in public opinion since the early 1980s. Canadians once approached big ideas on this front with trepidation. Today, however, we are confident that neither stronger economic ties with the United States nor a common […]
New Frontiers (HTML Version)
(To download the PDF version of this document, click here) PREFACE As the heads of leading Canadian enterprises, the members of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives are committed to the support of sound public policy that will strengthen Canada’s economy and society. In this context, the way Canada manages its relationships within North America will have a profound impact on our country’s future security and prosperity. The Council was the private sector leader in the development and promotion of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement during the 1980s and of the subsequent trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement. North American economic integration is now well advanced and irreversible, and in the face of global terrorism, the economic and physical security of the continent have become indivisible. While the Council’s fundamental vision for North America remains trilateral, we believe that to be most effective in addressing some of the key […]
New Frontiers (PDF Version)
New Frontiers (PDF Version)
Praise for "New Frontiers" by Leading North American Experts
Praise for "New Frontiers" by Leading North American Experts
Canada and the United States, a Unique Relationship
Canada and the United States, a Unique Relationship
Canada Must Take the Lead and Move Quickly with Ambitious North American Agenda, Business Leaders Say
Canada’s top CEOs are calling on the federal government to seize the initiative in strengthening Canada’s influence in North America and globally through more effective management of the Canada-United States partnership. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) today published a groundbreaking, 43-page paper titledNew Frontiers: Building a 21st Century Canada-United States Partnership in North America. The paper puts forward a comprehensive strategy and 15 specific recommendations aimed at enhancing Canada’s security and prosperity. “While the CCCE’s vision for North America encompasses Mexico, we believe that Canada and the United States must lead in addressing the key challenges facing our continent today,” said Thomas d’Aquino, the CCCE’s President and Chief Executive. The paper’s release follows more than a year of research and consultation with academics, business leaders and government officials in Canada, the United States and Mexico. “In releasing this paper, our intention is to stimulate rather than pre-empt a broad public […]
Thomas d’Aquino Critiques the Film "The Corporation"
Described by the Toronto Star as an "anti-corporation rant," the Canadian-made feature documentary "The Corporation" is a vicious indictment of capitalism and of its principal instrument, the corporation. The film’s producers argue that the corporation is self-interested, amoral, deceitful and "fully meets the diagnostic criteria of a psychopath." Not long after the movie’s Canadian release in January 2004, Toronto-based Corporate Knights magazine asked Thomas d’Aquino, President and Chief Executive of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), for his perspective on the film. The following interview appears in the magazine’s Spring 2004 issue. Question: Why do you think “The Corporation” has struck a chord with many people? Answer: In part, because it speaks to people who have been adversely affected by negative economic circumstances — whether at the hands of an industrial polluter or an irresponsible employer who exploits workers. Throughout the world, one can find many examples of both. However, […]
Business Leaders Support Prudent Budget, but Call for Bolder Review of Spending and Tax Policy
The federal budget tabled today by Finance Minister Ralph Goodale restores a welcome tone of prudence to the nation’s finances, says the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE). “The decision to return the contingency reserve and prudence factors to at least $4 billion a year, the commitment to reduce the federal debt to GDP ratio to 25 percent within 10 years and a long overdue pause in the rampant growth of program spending will all help to maintain Canada’s fiscal leadership and economic competitiveness at a time of considerable global risk and uncertainty,” said the CCCE’s President and Chief Executive, Thomas d’Aquino. The federal government rightly acknowledges the two main risks to the Canadian economic outlook: the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the rapid rise in the Canadian dollar and the sustainability of the United States economic recovery. Mr. d’Aquino welcomed the budget’s sharp drop in spending growth. Direct program […]
Towards a New North America
By Thomas d’Aquino (article published by the Council of the Americas in "Viewpoint Americas", volume 2, issue 2) Canadians, once apprehensive about the idea of free trade in North America, are now confident that neither stronger economic ties with the United States nor a common security agenda will imperil our political sovereignty, social values or cultural vitality. The key question now is how best to shape Canada’s future within the continent we share. In 2003, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) launched a major project to develop such a strategy. Based on the overarching imperative that Canada must affirm a vibrant independence and distinct personality in North America, we put forward two basic propositions: that the economic integration of North America is irreversible and that economic security and physical security have become inseparable. The strategy we suggested was based on five interlocking pillars: reinventing borders; negotiating a resource security […]
Private and Public Sectors Must Work Together to Resolve Cross-border Energy Issues, Business Leaders Say
At times of stress, we all have a tendency to turn inward. But for nations that are neighbours and friends, turning inward only leads to negative consequences for both countries.Putting up barriers can prevent countries from seeing eye-to-eye on how to be more secure, and more prosperous.Social and economic prosperity today demands that our leaders, in both the public and private sectors, break down barriers and build stronger ties with neighbouring nations, while working together for a safer and more secure world.Canada has a unique advantage in this regard. With the United States, we share the world’s longest undefended border. Equally important, we are each other’s largest trading partner, a fact that has contributed much to the prosperity of both nations.Yet barriers, real and perceived, still dot our shared border.Last year’s electricity blackout underscores how we underestimate our symbiotic relationship. Reports of the blackout highlighted just how interdependent we are, […]
Previous
