The 8th Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum
July 17-19, 2023, Toronto, Canada
Program
Theme: Sustainability, Recovery and Growth Post-Pandemic
Major topics to be addressed during panel sessions:
Indo-Pacific Region ● China ● Climate Change and Energy● Trade and Security
**Disclaimer – All details of this content are subject to change**
JULY 17, 2023 – OPENING EVENING
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL – TORONTO
3:00pm – 5:30pm. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
5:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Board Executive Coaches for Opening Dinner
ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM (ROM)
6:00pm – 7:00pm FORUM OPENING RECEPTION (AND OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW THE T.REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR EXHIBIT AND THE MINERALS GALLERY)
Land Acknowledgement and Presentation: Red Sky Performance
7:00pm – 9:00pm FORUM OPENING DINNER & THE AUSCAN AWARDS – TOP 6 INNOVATORS UNDER 40
Thank you/Introduction of Hon. George Pirie: Hon John R.Baird, Canadian Co-Chair
Opening Welcoming Remarks: Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario introduced by the Hon. George Pirie
Thank you by: Hon. Julie Bishop, Australian Co-Chair
9:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Board Executive Coaches for Four Seasons Hotel
JULY 18, 2023 – DAY ONE SESSIONS
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL – TORONTO, ARIA BALLROOM
6:30am – 7:45am BUFFET BREAKFAST
7:45am – 9:00am OPENING REMARKS
Final call to seating, housekeeping, and introduction of elders: Lori DeGraw
Land Acknowledgement and Welcome to Toronto: Elder Bob Phillips & Mayor Olivia Chow (TBC)
Welcome to the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum:
Hon. John R. Baird, Canadian Co-Chair and
Hon. Julie Bishop, Australian Co-Chair
Introduction of Guest Speaker: Hon Julie Bishop, Australian Co-Chair
Keynote Speaker: Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, Attorney -General, Government of Australia
Thank you by: Hon. Julie Bishop, Australian Co-Chair
Scene-Setting Presentation: Geopolitics and Post COVID-19 Pandemic
Jennifer Westacott AO, Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia
9:00am – 9:15am Networking Session
9:15am – 10:25am SESSION 1: THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION
– Indo-Pacific Regional Trade: CPTTP; RCEP; ASEAN, Indonesia; etc.
– Indo-Pacific Strategies: Compare how Canada, Australia approaches the region
– Australian and Canadian companies doing business/expanding in the region – short case studies
– How to solve the infrastructure deficit across the region, ex: private sector investment
Moderator: Janice Stein, Co-Chair of the Canadian Govt’s Advisory Committee on the Indo-Pacific Region, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management, University of Toronto
Panellists:
Goldy Hyder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Council of Canada
Mairead Lavery, President & CEO, Export Development Canada
Rag Udd, President of Minerals America, BHP
Jennifer Westacott AO, Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia
10:25am – 11:35am SESSION 2: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN CYBER
– The Cyber threat landscape in the post-pandemic world,
– Emerging technologies – Opportunities and preparedness
– Cyber and economic resilience, agility and alliances
– Cyber as an economic enabler/disabler for organizational and country strategies
Moderator: Greta Bossenmaier, Former Chief, Communications Security Establishment and former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister
Panellists:
Tobias Feakin, Former Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Australian Government
Ira Goldstein, Founder & CEO, Kernel Advisory
Sami Khoury, Head, CSE Cyber Centre
Stela Solar, Director National Artificial Intelligence Centre, CSIRO
11:35am – 11:50am Networking Session (All delegates must exit ballroom)
11:50am – 11:55am Delegates return to ballroom
11:55am – 12:15pm Introduction of Guest Speaker: Hon. Julie Bishop, Australia Co-Chair
Keynote Speaker: The Rt.Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Thank you by: Hon. John R. Baird, Canadian Co-Chair
12:15pm – 1:00pm LUNCH
1:00pm – 2:15pm SESSION 3: FOOD SECURITY AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS OF AGRICULTURE
– Food insecurity is a global threat due to war, climate change and export bans – global hunger is on the rise
– What technological and scientific innovations are in the works and needed to help increase agriculture production while lowering environmental costs?
Moderator: Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan
Panellists:
Murad Al-Katib, President and Chief Executive Officer, AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.
Rob Clayton, Senior Vice President North America Retail, Nutrien
Professor Michelle Colgrave, Deputy Director, Agriculture and Food, CSIRO
Elizabeth O’Leary, Executive Director Head of Agriculture & Natural Assets, Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) Australia Limited
2:15pm – 3:30pm SESSION 4: INDIGENOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
– What is needed to achieve prosperous Indigenous economies?
– Update on the Government of Canada Trade Policy Review
– Integrating Indigenous perspectives in binational trade agreements
– Learnings from other countries
– Infrastructure development
– Update on the Australia-Canada Indigenous Economic Partnership
Moderator: Tabatha Bull, President & CEO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
Panellists:
Wayne Garnons-Williams, Chair, International Intertribal Trade and Investment Organization
Hillary Thatcher, Senior Director, Indigenous and Northern Infrastructure at Canada Infrastructure Bank
Ken Wyatt, Former Minister for Indigenous Australians and Board Member, Energy Resources Australia
Professor Peter Yu, Vice-President First Nations at the Australian National University
3:30pm – 4:00pm COFFEE BREAK
4:00pm – 5:15pm SESSION 5: INFRASTRUCTURE: KEY CHALLENGES FOR SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY
– Key challenges in the infrastructure world and how to get them right
– Building the next generation of infrastructure that responds to the realities of climate change and sustainability
– Partnering with Indigenous Communities
– Post COVID-19 impact on the industry: lack of skilled labour, supply chain issues, project costs, etc.
Moderator: Mark Romoff, President, MRInsights, Former President and CEO, Canadian Council of Public-Private Partnerships and Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum Board Director
Panellists:
Ben Almond, CEO, Engineering Services Canada, SNC-Lavalin
Sherry Duhe, Interim CEO, Newcrest Mining Ltd.
Niilo Edwards, CEO, First Nations Major Project Coalition
Jennifer Stace, Assistant Secretary, Commonwealth Infrastructure Projects, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts
GLOBE AND MAIL CENTRE
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm RECEPTION, FIRESIDE CHAT, & DINNER
Final call to seating, housekeeping and introduction of Elders: Lori DeGraw
Welcome and introduction of Guest Speaker: Hon Julie Bishop
Moderator: Tony Keller, Staff Columnist, The Globe and Mail
Guest Speaker: Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry of Canada AND Hon Kristy McBain MP, minister for Regional Development, Local Government, and Territories
Thank you: Hon. John R. Baird
9:00 pm – 9:15pm Board executive coaches en route to Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto
JULY 19, 2023 – DAY TWO SESSIONS
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, TORONTO, ARIA BALLROOM
6:30am – 8:00am BUFFET BREAKFAST
8:00am – 8:10am Introduction of Next Panel Session: Hon Julie Bishop, Australian Co-Chair
8:10am – 8:15am Reset for Panel
8:15am – 9:30am SESSION 6: SPACE AND PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT
– Transformational changes are happening in Space driven by new technology and private sector investment – there are thousands of satellites providing communications services, navigational tools, monitoring weather, observing the universe, and more
– Once the business of the superpowers’ space agencies, it’s now mostly done by consortia and private sector investment
– Canada and Australia’s role in the Space sector, and where is it going?
Moderator: Professor Brian Schmidt, Vice-Chancellor & President, ANU
Panellists:
Brian Gallant, CEO, Space Canada
Marc Garneau, Former Astronaut and Former MP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce -Westmount
Professor Anna Moore, Director of InSpace ANU
Lisa Kewley, Director, Center for Astrophysics – Harvard & Smithsonian. Professor of Astrophysics at the Harvard Department of Astronomy
9:30am – 10:15am Introduction of Guest Speakers: Hon. John R. Baird, Canadian Co-Chair
SESSION 7: FIRESIDE CHAT
A discussion with Hon. Vic Fedeli, Ontario MPP, Chair Cabinet, Minister of Economic Development, Job creation and Trade
Moderator: Michael Serapio, CPAC English Anchor, Host of “Prime Time Politics” and “Profile with Michael Serapio”
10:15am – 10:25am SPECIAL PRESENTATION,
10:25am – 11:15am COFFEE BREAK, AND NETWORKING
11:15am – 12:30pm SESSION 8: CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY
– Climate Change 2050 is now 2030 – what does this mean for business and how will it affect industry sectors?
– Decarbonization: What investment is needed, and private sector initiatives and new technologies?
– Clean Tech: Nuclear, Hydrogen, etc.
Moderator: Nancy Southern, Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer of ATCO Ltd.
Panellists:
John Beck, Executive Chair, Aecon Group Inc.
Hon Kristy McBain MP, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government, and Territories
Donald Sadoway, Founder, Scientific Advisor, and Board Member at Ambri and Boston Metal; Founder of Sadoway Labs, Avanti Battery, Pure Lithium, and Lunar Resources
Ivan Vella, Chief Executive Aluminium, Rio Tinto
12:30pm – 2:30pm CLOSING LUNCH
Concluding Remarks:
His Excellency Mark Glauser, Canadian High Commissioner to Australia
and
His Excellency Hon. Scott Ryan, Australian High Commissioner to Canada
Co-Chairs’ Closing Remarks and Thank You:
Hon. John R. Baird, Canadian Co-Chair and
Hon. Julie Bishop, Australian Co-Chair