On November 27, the Calgary Chamber hosted the Right Honourable Prime Minister Mark Carney for a keynote address, followed by a featured conversation with Calgary Chamber President & CEO, Deborah Yedlin. Prime Minister Carney spoke to a sold-out crowd of 1,200, outlining his vision for a stronger, more globally competitive Canada.
His address followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Premier Danielle Smith, which took place in Calgary earlier that morning. Prime Minister Carney began his remarks with optimism around the MOU, outlining how the agreement is a step towards strengthening Canada’s economy by unlocking Alberta’s energy resources. The Prime Minister discussed several opportunities that would arise from the MOU, including:
- Increased access to new markets through a pipeline to the west coast
- Building energy infrastructure, helping accelerate the Alberta-based carbon capture and storage project, Pathways Alliance – which will be the largest CCUS initiative in the world
Throughout his address, Prime Minister Carney underscored the importance of building a stronger, more sustainable economy for Canada – limiting our reliance on the U.S. as a trading partner and focusing on Canadian resources and labour. He outlined the importance of working with all levels of government to establish global deals, such as the free trade talks with India and the UAE which were announced last week.
During the fireside chat with Calgary Chamber President & CEO, Deborah Yedlin, the discussion centred around these priorities. Key takeaways included:
- Creating financial incentives and regulatory certainty around critical infrastructure developments under the MOU, such as equity for Indigenous partners
- Unlocking economic opportunities and creating new partnerships in energy and critical minerals to diversify our economy and reduce reliance on the U.S.
- Attracting and retaining talent and labour within Canda, particularly around skilled trades
- Increasing the country’s defense spending by 5% by the end of the decade – a total of $80 billion
- Investing a further $1.7 billion to attract top researchers to Canada
The Calgary Chamber extends sincere thanks to our sponsors for their support in making this event possible: Our Presenting Sponsor, Capital Power; our Thanking Sponsor, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers; our Supporting Sponsors, ATCO, Enbridge, EY, Imperial Oil, Keyera, Pembina, TransAlta and TELUS.
