Successive governments have failed to adequately invest in Canada’s defence industrial base, depriving our military of the capabilities needed to contend with a far more dangerous world, limiting our ability to foster economic growth and resiliency, and isolating Canada from its closest allies and trading partners.
Compounding the challenge is the United States’ trade policy, which calls into question fundamental assumptions for our collective prosperity and security.
To effectively navigate Canada’s new circumstances, the Business Council of Canada recently urged the Government of Canada, in its report Security & Prosperity, to develop a new national strategy aimed at building a strong and sovereign defence industrial base.
Join Canadian Club Toronto on May 27 for a timely discussion on the importance of a new defence industrial base strategy and what it will mean for Canadian workers. Lana Payne, National President of Unifor – the largest private sector union in Canada – will kick off the panel with opening remarks. From there, Louise Blais, Canada’s former Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will moderate a discussion among three leading CEOs:
The event will close with an urgent appeal for action by Goldy Hyder, President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada.
*For virtual attendees, please note that the live stream will begin at approximately 12:30 pm ET & the link will be provided closer to the event date*
Lana Payne
National President, Unifor
Elected as Unifor National President in 2022, Lana Payne brings the skills and experience gained from her work as Unifor’s former Atlantic Regional Director, first woman National Secretary-Treasurer, her time as President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, and her history as a veteran print journalist.
A proud feminist and activist, she found her home in the labour movement in 1991 with FFAW/CAW. A former journalist, she wrote a newspaper column for more than 20 years and was named one of Canada’s 23 Bold Women of Vision.
As the first woman to be elected National President, it is no exaggeration to say that Lana is changing the world.
Named the 4th most powerful person in Canadian Business in Maclean’s 2024 Power List, the magazine cited her willingness to play hardball against mammoth companies and noted that she is not one to take no for an answer.
Maclean’s also acknowledged her work to build a culture of transparency and collaboration, as well as recent major bargaining wins, including negotiations that set a new wage standard for grocery workers and delivered the most significant pay increases in Canadian auto bargaining history with the Detroit Three.
She was named Automotive News All Star in 2023 and has twice been named among Toronto Life’s 50 most influential Torontonians, which recognizes people whose courage, smarts and clout are changing the world as we know it. In honour of her fight for workplace rights and broader political change, Lana received Chatelaine’s 2023 Doris Anderson Award, which celebrates Canadians Who Made the World a Better Place.
She has challenged the Bank of Canada governor on interest rate hikes, taken on grocery giants on price gouging and better jobs for workers, and continues to call out corporations and governments alike to take action on the affordability crisis.
Lana led the fight for anti-scab legislation in all jurisdictions across Canada and celebrated a major victory when it passed into federal law in 2024. She continues to take CEOs and politicians to task and speak truth to power in her fight to improve working conditions and a better world for all Canadians and working people.
Blake Hutcheson
President and CEO, OMERS
He is responsible for the overall leadership and performance of the OMERS enterprise.
He was appointed OMERS President and Chief Pension Officer in 2018. His mandate included leading OMERS Pension Services, Strategy, Communications & Public Affairs, Legal, Technology and Operations, in addition to Asset Liability Management.
Blake previously served as President and CEO of Oxford Properties Group since 2010, and in 2014 he also became Chief Investment Officer, Real Estate and Strategic Investments and added the OMERS Platform Investments portfolio, an integral part of the OMERS innovative agenda.
Prior to OMERS, Blake was the Head of Global Real Estate with Mount Kellett Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm with offices in key locations around the globe. Previously, he was Chairman and President of the Canadian, Latin American, and Mexican operations for CB Richard Ellis, the world’s largest real estate services company.
An appointee to the Order of Ontario and a former recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Blake is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario. He also completed a Graduate Diploma in International and Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics (with Distinction) and a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development at Columbia University (where he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2017).
Blake continues to play Masters Lacrosse every summer for his home town of Huntsville, Ontario. He is married and has two children.
Éric Martel
President and CEO, Bombardier
A dynamic and engaging leader, Éric Martel is respected globally for his leadership and business acumen. As President and CEO of Bombardier, Mr. Martel’s extensive experience in engineering, aerospace and in global product manufacturing helps lead the international company in serving corporations, aviation charter companies and governments, enabling businesses and individuals to travel safely and efficiently. Known for developing and manufacturing their flagship Global and Challenger business jets, Bombardier’s impact on the economy cannot be understated. With over 12,000 employees in Canada, the company is a major global player and contributes significantly to job creation, supply chain vibrancy and export sales. Bombardier’s leadership in sustainable aviation is also of note, with the Global 7500 being the first business jet ever to receive an environmental product declaration.
Mr. Martel has decades of experience working with some of the world’s most important corporations, and deep relationships with key stakeholders and customers. His sincere and authentic voice and thoughtful, insightful and engaging approach is appreciated by his peers. He is also a dedicated and committed leader, offering his time to numerous volunteer opportunities. He has been actively involved with Centraide of Greater Montreal for many years and served as co-chair of the fundraising campaign in 2019. He’s also involved with the Montreal Mental Health University Institute Foundation and Robotique FIRST Quebec. He was named one of the five most influential people in Quebec by L’actualité in 2018.
Nancy Southern
Chair and CEO, ATCO Ltd.
Nancy Southern is Chair & Chief Executive Officer of ATCO Ltd., and Chair & Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Utilities Limited, an ATCO Company. Reporting to the Boards of Directors, she is responsible for the leadership, strategic direction, and operations of both companies. She also serves as Executive Vice President of Spruce Meadows Ltd. and is a founding Director of AKITA Drilling Ltd., a Director of Sentgraf Enterprises Limited, an Honorary Director of BMO Financial Group, and a Director Emeritus of the Rideau Hall Foundation.
Ms. Southern has long played a prominent role in advocating on social issues of global importance—most notably, the rights of Indigenous peoples and the role of women in business. She is an Honorary Chief of the Kainai (Blood Tribe of Alberta) who bestowed the name Aksistoowa’paakii, or Brave Woman, upon her in 2012.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Southern has served with many respected business and academic organizations. She is a member of the Business Council of Canada, the American Society of Corporate Executives, and is a Canadian member of the Trilateral Commission. She is also a member of the University of Calgary School of Public Policy Advisory Council.
Ms. Southern is the recipient of numerous honours for her community leadership and commitment to democratic principles and free enterprise. In 2024, she was honoured as a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence, the highest honour the Province of Alberta can bestow on a citizen. Also in 2024, Canada’s True Patriot Love Foundation awarded Ms. Southern with the Patriot Award for ATCO’s leading role in supporting the Canadian Armed Forces and its Veterans, as well as ATCO’s support of the Invictus Games movement. In 2023, she received the Lifetime Business Achievement in the Americas Award from the Canadian Council for the Americas and, in 2022, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce honoured her with the Canadian Business Leader Lifetime Achievement Award. Also in 2022, she was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal and, in 2020, she was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to British equestrian, military, and commercial interests in Alberta. In 2018, she received the Canadian Business Leader Award from the University of Alberta and was named a Distinguished Policy Fellow by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy in recognition of her lifetime commitment to Canadian public policy. She was inducted as a Companion into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2017.
Ms. Southern has been recognized by Fortune on its list of the “50 Most Powerful Women Outside of the U.S.” as well as its list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business: The Global 50.” She has been named one of the “50 Most Important People in Canada” by Maclean’s.
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Ms. Southern studied economics and commerce at the University of Calgary, which also awarded her its highest academic honour, an Honorary Doctor of Laws, in 2014. She also holds Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Mount Royal University, the University of Lethbridge, and Western University.
Goldy Hyder
President and CEO– Business Council of Canada
Goldy Hyder is a seasoned strategic leader with more than 25 years’ experience advising business leaders, boards of directors, government officials and a broad spectrum of community stakeholder groups.
As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada (BCC), he represents Canadian business leaders across the country and around the world. The BCC is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose membership is comprised of more than 170 chief executives and entrepreneurs of Canada’s leading and largest companies. Mr. Hyder works directly with these leaders to develop and promote sensible public policy solutions in support of economic growth, including in the areas of the energy transition, innovation and industrial policy, cybersecurity, supply chain resilience, workforce development, and trade diversification. He led the BCC through the COVID-19 pandemic, helping coordinate the Canadian business community’s response to the crisis.
Mr. Hyder is a member of the Board of Directors of Open Text Corporation. In addition, he has a long track record of service on behalf of several charities and non-profit organizations, including the Coalition for a Better Future, the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, and Canada’s World Trade Organization Business Advisory Council. He sits on the advisory boards of two leading organizations promoting advancement of women leaders: Catalyst Canada and the 30% Club (Canada) and is a member of the selection board for A Seat At The Table, an initiative to encourage greater representation of people with disabilities on corporate boards.
Prior to the BCC, Mr. Hyder was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Canada. In a series of increasingly senior roles, he provided clients with strategic counsel on public policy reform and regulatory approvals for corporate transactions.
Mr. Hyder is a regular commentator in Canadian media on business, politics and leadership. He is also the host of the Speaking of Business podcast, which features interviews with Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Calgary.
Louise Blais
Senior Special Advisor – U.S. and International Affairs – Business Council of Canada
Louise draws on her years of experience as a Canadian diplomat to provide advice to the Council on issues related to Canada-U.S. relations, North America, and Canada’s place in the world. She frequently speaks and writes on behalf of the Council.
Louise was Canada’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2017-2021. As a senior diplomat, she served abroad in Washington and Tokyo and as Minister-Counsellor for Political Affairs at the Embassy in Paris. In 2014 she was appointed Consul General of Canada in Atlanta, covering North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
In Ottawa, at Global Affairs Canada, she held the positions of Director of the Public Diplomacy Division where she oversaw Canada’s International outreach, and Executive Director of the Rotational Staff Division.
Among her personal commitments, Ambassador Blais has been dedicated to the advancement of women entrepreneurship and led her team to launch the first ever North America Summit of Women in Business. She is writing a book on the power of Feminine Leadership.
Louise is currently Strategic Advisor with The Pendleton Group, based in Atlanta GA.
