2023 National Manufacturing Conference & AGM

THE HON. SEAN FRASER

Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

JANE TABER,

Senior Vice President, NATIONAL Public Relations

Jane Taber is a former Globe and Mail political journalist and co-host of CTV’s Question Period who spent more than 25 years covering Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park. She’s interviewed the country’s main political players, covered leadership contests, trade deals, international summits and the important issues of the day, and has coached CEOs of major Canadian companies, the heads of national law firms and senior cabinet ministers and MPs on media relations. Jane is a graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program and was appointed to the Carleton University Board of Governors.

DENNIS DARBY,
President & CEO, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

ELISE MAHEU,
Chair of CME’s National Board of Directors

Head Government Affairs United States and Canada, Global Government Affairs, 3M Canada

DAVID L. COHEN,
US Ambassador to Canada

Before his appointment by President Biden and unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David L. Cohen served as Senior Advisor to the CEO at Comcast Corporation as of January 1, 2020. He was previously Senior Executive Vice President at Comcast, where his portfolio included corporate communications, legal affairs, government and regulatory affairs, public affairs, corporate administration, corporate real estate and security, and community impact. Cohen also served as the company’s first chief diversity officer.

DAN BREZNITZ,
Munk Chair of Innovation Studies and author of Innovation in Real Places – Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World

Dan Breznitz is the Munk Chair of Innovation Studies, the Co-Director of the Innovation Policy Lab, and a professor of global affairs and political science in the Munk School and the Department of Political Science of the University of Toronto, as well as a Fellow of CIFAR where he Co-Directs the program on Innovation, Equity and the Future of Prosperity. He is the author of numerous papers, chapters and edited volumes as well as several award winning books on Innovation and the State.

CHAD BRICK,
President,  The Eastside Group of Companies

Chad Brick is an accomplished professional with a track record of success in the world of business and finance. Graduating from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Commerce Honors degree in 2002, he swiftly pursued a CPA in 2004. For a decade, Chad honed his expertise at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he had the privilege of working with world-class manufacturers across North America. His time there allowed him to amass knowledge in business and finance, witnessing firsthand how companies transitioned from small enterprises to thriving corporations. In 2007, he embarked on an exciting journey with The Eastside Group of Companies, his family’s business, and under his leadership, the company has experienced phenomenal growth. Starting with just 63 employees in 2007, the team has expanded to nearly 400 today, and the group’s revenue has grown from $6 million to nearly $50 million.

The Eastside Group of Companies was founded by George & Lynn Brick in 1978, and is comprised of Eastside Industrial Coatings & Composites, Eastside Heavy Truck Collision, Eastside Collision Repairs and Eastside Moray Collision & Glass. Family-owned and operated for over 40 years, The Eastside Group has built a reputation on straightforward, honest communication, service that goes above and beyond the call of duty, and consistent delivery of world-class quality products.

PATRICK GERVAIS,
Vice-President,  Trucks & Public Affairs, The Lion Electric Company

Patrick Gervais joined Lion Electric in 2018 after nearly 25 years in the agency world. At Lion Electric, Patrick is part of the management team and, since December 2022, he leads Lion’s truck sales team in Canada, as well as being responsible for public affairs and government relations. Patrick’s mission is to develop new strategies and promote the company’s line of trucks and services, while continuing to oversee the development and execution of the public affairs and government relations strategy. Patrick also sits on the board of directors of Propulsion Québec and Electric Mobility Canada and he’s strongly involved in the development of the supply chain and the electrification ecosystem in Canada.

Lion Electric is an innovative manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles. The company creates, designs and manufactures all-electric class 5 to class 8 commercial urban trucks and all-electric buses and minibuses for the school, paratransit and mass transit segments. Lion is a North American leader in electric transportation and designs, builds and assembles many of its vehicles’ components, including chassis, battery packs, truck cabins and bus bodies.

JOEL RICHARDSON,

Vice-President, Public Relations, Cooke Inc.

Joel leads public and government relations for Cooke Inc. Prior to joining the private sector, Joel worked as senior provincial government civil servant in tourism, economic development and foreign investment attraction, and export growth. Joel has led diplomatic and business development trade missions in Asia, Europe, Middle East and the Americas. He served as a City Councillor in Fredericton, President of the Cities of New Brunswick Association, Chair of the Atlantic Canada Caucus and National Finance Chair for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and chaired the Coalition of New Brunswick Employers, a group of the top 30 New Brunswick business associations.

Cooke Inc. is a vertically integrated family seafood company based in New Brunswick with global operations in 13 countries and nearly 13,000 employees – 2,300 are in Atlantic Canada. Cooke ships fresh, sustainable True North Seafood Company branded products globally and has been identified by the Atlantic Economic Council as one of the top private sector investors in the region with capital project plans to spend $350M over the next 5 yrs. Cooke Aquaculture is a 2023 winner of the Canada’s Best Managed Companies Platinum Club for the 18th consecutive year and named one of the top employers in Atlantic Canada for 2023.

ALAN ARCAND,
Chief Economist, CME

Alan Arcand is Chief Economist at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). In his role, he is responsible for developing and executing CME’s major national research projects, conducting CME’s macroeconomic analysis to support the organization across the country, and being a leading voice representing the interests of the association and members with government and with the public. Before joining CME, Alan spent 19 years at The Conference Board of Canada where he held multiple roles, including the Associate Director of the Centre for Municipal Studies. Alan’s background includes expertise in municipal, regional, and national economic matters including economic forecasting and analysis. Alan has an M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Windsor.

THE HON. STEVEN GUILBEAULT

Minister of Environment and Climate Change

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Laurier—Sainte-Marie in 2019. He has previously served as Minister of Canadian Heritage. Minister Guilbeault is a prominent advocate in the fight against the climate crisis, and has been leading the charge from Laurier—Sainte-Marie for years. In 1993, Minister Guilbeault co-founded Équiterre, the largest environmental organization in Quebec, and served as its Senior Director from 2008 to 2018. He also worked as a Director and Campaign Manager for Greenpeace, and was a Strategic Advisor for more than 10 years at Cycle Capital Management, a Canadian fund dedicated to the development of clean technologies. Minister Guilbeault also worked for Deloitte & Touche as well as Copticom, a consulting firm specializing in the green and social economy, and transportation.

FEATURING

BRENDAN MARSHALL,

Principal Advisor, External Affairs Canada, Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is the second largest mining company globally and the largest diversified mining and metal manufacturing company operating in Canada.

With 17 years of public, not-for-profit and private sector experience, Brendan Marshall leads federal government engagement providing advice to the business on government affairs, regulatory issues, and policy, including in the climate change, energy, critical minerals, tax, trade and fiscal spaces. He partners closely with Rio Tinto’s product groups, communications, legal, and strategy teams to advance Rio Tinto’s key projects and growth opportunities in Canada and globally. Brendan also currently serves as a Director on the Board of the Canadian Manufactures and Exporters and is a founding member of Canada’s Battery Task Force.

THE HON. MARY NG,

FEATURING

ELISE MAHEU,
Chair of CME’s National Board of Directors

Head Government Affairs United States and Canada, Global Government Affairs, 3M Canada

Elise Maheu is the Head of Government Affairs, United States & Canada for 3M Global Public Affairs. She serves as the leader for 3M’s advocacy, public policy, and government engagement activities and leads different projects in markets around the world. She drives the direction, sets the strategy, and provides day-to-day management to the USA & Canada Government Affairs team enhancing the company brand reputation and providing counsel, insight, and support to senior executive management on all government-related issues and activities.  She is part of 3M Global Government Affairs Executive Team.

THE HON. RANDY BOISSONNAULT,

FEATURING

RHONDA BARNET, 

CEO, Palette Skills

A former CME board chair, Rhonda Barnet has over three decades of experience as a female trailblazer, achieving great heights in male-dominated industries and institutions. A STEM graduate in mathematics, she is a successful executive, entrepreneur, and director, as well as a key voice in Canada, and around the world, on industrial policy, skills of the future, and diversity. As a champion for building the skilled labour force of the future, Barnet was recently appointed CEO of Palette Skills, a national nonprofit focused on meeting the needs of Canada’s most innovative companies by upskilling workers from diverse backgrounds to transition into new industries. Barnet has held various positions in her manufacturing company, AVIT Manufacturing (formerly Steelworks Design Inc.), including VP Finance, President & COO, and Chair of the Advisory Board. She has grown this company into a global automation company offering custom solutions to the largest manufacturers in the world. Barnet was the first woman in history to chair CME’s national board, and is the founder of Canada’s Women in Manufacturing Initiative, led by CME.

MITCH DAVIES

DAVID MCHATTIE

Vice-President Institutional Relations, Tenaris

As Canada’s leading manufacturer and service provider of steel pipes for energy development, Tenaris has invested significantly in its operations in Canada with Dave playing an important leadership role in this growth.

Since David joined Tenaris in 1999 to help found the Canadian operations, he has held leadership roles in Canada including Marketing, Strategic Planning and now Institutional Relations where he develops and implements stakeholder strategies creating a healthy business environment for Tenaris to grow sustainably. Dave helped develop plans for and integrate investments including projects more than $100M and acquisitions valued over $1B.

THE HON. LISA RAITT, P.C.

Co-Chair, Coalition for a Better Future. Vice Chair, Global Investment Banking, CIBC Capital Markets

The Honourable Lisa Raitt joined CIBC Capital Markets in January 2020, with a focus is on the energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors, which align closely with her deep expertise. Previously, Ms. Raitt was the President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority. She was elected into the House of Commons in 2008, where she went on to hold three senior portfolios serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Transport. Most recently, Ms. Raitt was the Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada.

Lisa will provide an overview of the state of Canada’s economic growth and how urgency is needed from policy makers to ensure future prosperity.

JEAN-FRANÇOIS TREMBLAY

Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Jean-François Tremblay was appointed Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, effective September 18, 2023. Jean-François Tremblay joins us from Employment and Social Development Canada, where he has served as Deputy Minister since January 2022.

Prior to working in that capacity, Mr. Tremblay served as Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada from 2020 to 2022, Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services from 2017 to 2020, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Communities from 2016 to 2017 and Deputy Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TIC) from 2015 to 2016. Before joining the TIC portfolio, he was Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Operations, Privy Council Office, since April 2013.

PATRICK OLAND

First Vice-Chair Chief Financial Officer

Moosehead Breweries Limited

LAUREL C. BROTEN,

CEO of Invest in Canada

Laurel Broten is the CEO of Invest in Canada, the federal corporation responsible for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities into Canada. With a focus on positioning Canada on the world stage as a place to do business, Laurel seeks to propel the country’s economic growth from coast to coast to coast, prioritizing green initiatives, accelerating innovation, and finding the best global companies to invest.

DR. DAVID LLEWELLYN

Chief Commercial Officer of STEMCELL

Dr. David Llewellyn is Chief Commercial Officer at STEMCELL Technologies, Canada’s largest biotechnology company. David is a champion of STEMCELL’s mandate to advance science, which he supports at the executive level by ensuring the company is well positioned for long term growth and profitability.

STEMCELL Technologies provides high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, and educational resources to scientists around the world working on stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research. Rooted in scientific expertise and rigor, STEMCELL is a company of Scientists Helping Scientists, and cares deeply about making the world a better place.

SYLVAIN RIENDEAU 

Senior Director Montreal Operations, business transformation and Telesat Lightspeed, MDA

With nearly 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry, Sylvain leads the transformation of the MDA satellite systems division to meet the needs of the expanding space industry. He began his career as a mechanical engineer on the ISS Canadarm-2 program and has led teams on several flagship Canadian space programs and international constellation programs. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Montreal Polytechnique specializing in Space Technology and a Master’s degree from McGill University in Composite Materials. Sylvain has an outstanding ability to lead teams to develop new ideas and concepts to meet evolving business needs and improve business performance.

MDA is a trusted international space mission partner and a pioneer in space robotics, in-orbit operations, satellite systems and Earth observation. With a 50+ year story of firsts on and above the Earth, today our 2,700 highly-skilled employees are leading the charge towards viable Moon colonies, enhanced Earth insight, and communication in a hyper-connected world.

CHRISTINE BABKINE

Directrice, Responsabilité sociale d’entreprise (RSE), BRP

Christine Babkine has more than 25 years of experience in management, marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR). She joined BRP in 2021 to lead the development and implementation of the company’s CSR strategy and lead cross-functional working groups in achieving the objectives of the environment, social impact and governance pillars, in connection with the company’s business plan. She is also responsible for the development and implementation of partnerships with the community as well as BRP’s reporting and outreach in terms of corporate social responsibility. Ms. Babkine holds an MBA in social and environmental responsibility of organizations from Laval University, also holds a degree in business administration from the University of Quebec in Montreal, in marketing from the University Institute of Technology in Montpellier, France and in Communications from the University of Sherbrooke.

Headquartered in the Canadian town of Valcourt, Quebec, BRP has been reimagining the way you access your world since 2003 and beyond. BRP’s portfolio of industry-leading and distinctive products comprises Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am On- and Off-Road vehicles, Alumacraft, Manitou, Quintrex and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts and recreational aircraft. 

ALTHIA RAJ,
Award-Winning Journalist & Political Columnist

DENNIS DARBY,
President & CEO, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters