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There is a buzz in the air in Toronto that can be felt from 15,000km away in Australia. Since the Sydney-based Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC) was reinvigorated four years ago, it has gone from strength to strength. The CACC now boasts more than 30 volunteers, as well as some incredibly high-profile corporate sponsors and members. The focus is now on expanding the Canadian arm of the Chamber. Following the successful launch of the Melbourne Committee of the CACC 12 months ago, a Toronto Committee is now being established to increase the Chamber’s volunteer and supporter base. The Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC) is a non-profit, business-focused organisation that aims to build business connections and assist trade and investment as a means to bring Canada and Australia closer together. The CACC was established to strengthen business relationships between the countries, making it easier for companies to establish themselves in both Canada and Australia. The Toronto Committee is now calling for expressions of interest from potential members and volunteers interested in sharing business expertise that will further enhance Canadian-Australian trade and investment relationships. People with connections to or business interests in these countries who want to assist in strengthening these ties should get in touch with the Chamber to get involved. The Toronto Committee will be headed up by directors Greg McNab and Ross Campbell. Mr McNab has a strong history with the Toronto arm of the CACC, dating back to 2009, while Mr Campbell has recently joined the Toronto arm after relocating from Sydney where he was heavily involved in the Australian arm. Both have a passion for strengthening business relationships, trade and investment between the two countries and are excited about the new opportunities in store for Toronto. Mr Campbell said being part of the Chamber created...

A networking breakfast hosted across Sydney and Melbourne by the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC) in conjunction with Export Development Canada (EDC) discussed the need to adapt in a changing and diverse trade environment and the outlook for trade between the two countries. Mastering the Mayhem: Canada and Australia in a World of Trade Chaos provided insight into the impacts of significant political shifts and policy development on trade between the world’s economies with keynote speakers: Peter Hall, VP & Chief Economist from EDC; Mark Thirlwell, Head of Research and Chief Economist for Austrade; and Professor Philip Adams, Centre of Policy Studies at Victoria University. The speakers examined world trade in the current environment from a Canadian and Australian perspective. PICTURED (from left): Mark Thirwell - Head of Research and Chief Economist for Austrade and Peter Hall - VP & Chief Economist from EDC. Export Development Canada has a significant role to play in this sphere and aims to double its business volume in Australia over the next three years. To support this growth objective, EDC opened its first Australian representation office in Sydney last November. The export credit agency, a financially self-sustaining Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada, facilitated more than $3 billion in trade with Australia last year and served over 450 Canadian exporters and investors in the market. With strength in both the Australian and Canadian markets, export opportunities between the two countries are expected to continue increasing in the coming years. EDC is committed to assisting Canadian companies make the most of these opportunities. EDC's Chief Representative for Australia, Teri Nizzola, said she is seeing many new and innovative Canadian businesses entering the Australian market, bringing with them products and services that can benefit Australian consumers. “Though halfway across the world, there is a...

This week the CACC was excited to host The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister, for boardroom briefings in both Sydney and Melbourne as part of a visit to Australia in support of his recently published book ‘Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in The Age of Disruption’. The events, entitled Political Disruption: A Conversation with the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, discussed the current political landscape and the impact this is having on business and trade relationships across the western world. With a political career that included founding Canada’s modern Conservative Party in 2004, followed by three successive national election victories in 2006, 2008, and 2011, Mr Harper’s time as Prime Minister saw Canada sign historic trade deals, undergo significant growth, and cement its standing as a leader within the G7 nations.  He reduced federal taxes in Canada to their lowest levels in more than fifty years, created 1.3 million jobs, balanced the budget while making investments in healthcare and infrastructure, attracted new investment and fostered innovation. Despite only three years having passed since Mr Harper left office, the global political landscape has shifted dramatically, driven primarily by the rise of populist movements around the world that have created an atmosphere of uncertainty. “I left office in 2015 and the world went to hell in a handbasket,” Mr Harper jokes. Mr Harper’s book explores why we are seeing phenomenons such as the Brexit referendum, the election of Donald Trump and the rise of new, unorthodox populist parties. PICTURED (from Left): Melissa Wharton, CEO - CACC, Mike McGrath, Managing Partner - PwC Australia, TRH Stephen Harper, Sophie Galaise, Honourary Member - CACC Melbourne Committee & MD - Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Lesley Gillespie, CACC Director & Co-Founder Bakers Delight. Mr Harper points to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) as...

The Canadian Australia Chamber of Commerce (CACC) congratulates corporate sponsor, Air Canada, on its inaugural non-stop flight from Melbourne to Vancouver at a special event at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport on Sunday, 3 December 2017. Among those officially celebrating Air Canada’s non-stop flight between Melbourne and Vancouver were representatives from the CACC, Canada’s High Commissioner to Australia, dignitaries from the Government of Victoria, executives from Air Canada, Melbourne Airport and Vancouver Airport – as well as the many passengers about to board the flight. The greatest commonality between the CACC and Air Canada is its shared interest in bringing Canada and Australia closer together. And with Air Canada now flying to its newest destination in Australia, two of the world’s most livable cities just became a little closer. The CACC welcomes this new route as it stands to simplify trade and travel between the two countries. Forthose who travel, or have products shipped between Melbourne and Canada, the journey between the two countries is shortened by several hours as transiting via another major Australian hub is no longer necessary. Currently, direct flights between Melbourne and Vancouver are operating seasonally, four times weekly until 4 February 2018 with year-round service commencing 1 June 2018. For those who travel beyond Vancouver, seamless connections are expected through in-transit pre-clearance facilities for Air Canada’s extensive domestic networks within Canada and the US. Supporting investment between Australia and Canada, the CACC acknowledges the significant investment that Air Canada has made with over $1 billion in capital assets in Australia. Travelling more than 13,000 km, this direct flight between Melbourne and Vancouver is the longest non-stop flight presently flying out of Melbourne. Air Canada’s st ate-of the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner now directly connecting Melbourne and Australia, really is a dream come true. The CACC and Air Canada, bringing Canada...

PICTURED (from left to right): Brendon Lamers from KPMG Australia, Adrian Dwyer from Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, Monica Lunin (CACC Director), Dennis Cliche from Sydney Motorway, Michael Hanna fromIFM Investors, Diana Callebaut from Cbus Super Fund, Jean-Étienne Leroux from CDPQ, Minh Dao from KPMG Australia, Philip Davies from Infrastructure Australia, Marc-André Hawkes from The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) and Scott Farrell from KPMG Australia.   With views of Sydney’s harbour waterways and the Anzac Bridge in the background, some of the country’s prominent experts in infrastructure investment and advisory came together to discuss how Australia’s infrastructure should be funded and managed.   Hosted by CACC Corporate Sponsor, KPMG, the luncheon event began with some opening remarks by CACC Director, Monica Lunin. The panel, moderated by Jean-Étienne Leroux, Regional Director for Transactions & Asset Management at CDPQ (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec), included: Philip Davies, CEO of Infrastructure Australia, Diana Callebaut, Head of Infrastructure at Cbus Super Fund, Michael Hanna, Head of Infrastructure (Australia) at IFM Investors and Adrian Dwyer, CEO of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia. The discussion covered a broad range of topics. It began with a review of the current state of privatisation and the pipeline of new infrastructure projects. Overall, the panel was optimistic about opportunities for investment in both areas. However, Philip Davies cautioned, “We need to have a credible pipeline of investments that we want to make which justify recycling assets and other reforms.” When looking at how transformative technologies affect infrastructure, Adrian Dwyer used the example of electric vehicles to highlight the impacts. In reference to the cost of building and operating ventilation outlets on the new M5-WestConnex road, “At some point over the lifecycle of that asset every single vehicle using the road will be emissions free”. He also highlighted that governments would...