The Economist promotes The Ideas Economy through their series of live events. This year NSB was proud to work with them on their first ever Canada Summit held in Toronto as one of their Supporting Associations.
Here’s some of the themes and takeaway’s from the day:
The Economist noted that Canada’s ‘stable macroeconomic environment and sound monetary policy have allowed it to emerge from the global financial crisis barely scathed. But Canada still faces a number of urgent political, economic and social challenges.’
While we have a resource rich economy, we also need to ensure that we also have an economy rich in human resources. While exports are contributing significantly to economic growth in Canada, we were encouraged to expand – growth is happening in China, Asia, India and sub-Saharan Africa.
Ed Clark, of TD Bank fame noted that if we’re looking to grow in other countries like the USA, ‘do not cross the border other than in your best suit. Go where you’re strongest in skill and compete.’ For more on this, NSB’s Howard Green wrote the book on TD’s rise and it’s Banking on America.
Here’s what NSB speakers at the event had to say:
In the Investing in ideas: boosting innovation for bigger returns session, NSB Speaker Lauren Friese shared how she and many others experienced difficulty transitioning from school to work. She started Talent Egg and now successfully fills that gap for others each year. Some of her advice for students in this job economy? “In any job market, be the CEO of ‘Me Inc’ & promote your marketable skills.”
David Miller, head of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) spoke on the panel for Canada and the Artic Council noting: ‘We have a unique opportunity to set rules & allow development where appropriate. Any policy has to ensure some prosperity for the local community. We need to include communities, protect nature, & create economy.’
Frank McKenna contributed to The Energy Equation panel and Canada’s future as an energy exporter. He proclaimed: ‘We are a country. Not a collection of provinces. We need more leadership at the national level.’
There was also plenty of buzz from the event on twitter:
Couldn’t agree more. Frank McKenna, dept chair of TD, says Canada suffers internationally by not having better climate policy. #CanadaSummit — Rory Johnston (@Rory_Johnston) December 3, 2014
.@iamdavidmiller outlining a way to move forward on economic development while sustaining environments & promoting prosperity #canadasummit
— BuildStrongCities (@StrongCities) December 3, 2014
In the Investing in ideas: boosting innovation for bigger returns session, NSB Speaker Lauren Friese shared how she and many others experienced difficulty transitioning from school to work. She started Talent Egg and now successfully fills that gap for others each year. Some of her advice for students in this job economy? “In any job market, be the CEO of ‘Me Inc’ & promote your marketable skills.”
David Miller, head of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) spoke on the panel for Canada and the Artic Council noting: ‘We have a unique opportunity to set rules & allow development where appropriate. Any policy has to ensure some prosperity for the local community. We need to include communities, protect nature, & create economy.’
Frank McKenna contributed to The Energy Equation panel and Canada’s future as an energy exporter. He proclaimed: ‘We are a country. Not a collection of provinces. We need more leadership at the national level.’
For more information on The Economist events and insights from the day, follow @TheIdeasEconomy on twitter. 