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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...

PICTURED (left to right): Monica Lunin - Director for CACC, Mike McGrath - Managing Partner - CMO for PwC Australia, Laura Anderson - Chairman LaunchVic, Martin Enault - CEO Asia Pacific for C2 and Philip Le Liu - Councillor for City of Melbourne. There has been much hype and fanfare surrounding C2’s move into the Australian marketplace. Founded by Cirque Du Soleil and Sid Lee, the Montreal-based company encourages businesses to embrace disruption and innovation theory and harness the potential of human connections for a better future for us all. C2 Melbourne teamed up with the CACC to host a panel discussion in Melbourne last week, ahead of its first international flagship conference to be held in Melbourne this October. PICTURED: Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan Described by the Harvard Business Review as “the conference that is reinventing how we network”, C2 claims to transform the way people think about imagination and creativity in business. C2 conferences literally take idea creation and networking out of the box – at its conferences it is not uncommon to see people networking in a plastic bubble or collaborating in an electric boat. It stimulates the imagination while bringing the brightest minds together to spark new and creative ventures. The panel discussion was chaired by C2’s CEO for the Asia Pacific region, Martin Enault and led by prominent business professionals including Mike McGrath, Managing Partner for PWC Australia, Laura Anderson, Chairman of SVI Global and Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan. It created thought-provoking debate amidst the group. Following the opening panel discussion, attendees were invited to take part in a dialogue known as the ‘Barometer Lab’, where people share ideas on topics such as the effects of digitisation on today’s workplaces and the critical elements a business must have to be successful into the future. The questions also prompted intriguing debate and...

PICTURE: Alan McCallum - Chairman of Cann Group Ltd, Lesley Gillespie - Chair of CACC Melbourne Committee, Matthew Cantelo - CEO of Australian Natural Therapeutics Group, Peter Crock - CEO of Cann Group Ltd, The Honourable Mrs. Jaala Pulford, Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Regional Development, Elaine Darby - MD of AusCann, Erik Dennison - Melbourne Committee and Chris Kommatas, Innovation Manager & Accelerator Program Director, Melbourne Health and Founder & Organiser, Startup HealthTech Australia. If the balance of the New Year is anything like the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce’s (CACC) Melbourne Committee’s first event of 2018, it’s going to be a fascinating year. On Tuesday 13 February 2018, Victorian investors, producers, regulators and the Minister for Agriculture came together in Melbourne to discuss the rapidly growing medicinal cannabis industry, an industry that is quickly following in footsteps first forged in Canada. This event, hosted by the Melbourne Committee of the CACC featured a keynote speech by Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford followed by a panel discussion with: Elaine Darby, Managing Director, AusCann; Peter Crock, CEO, CannGroup, Matthew Cantelo, CEO, Australian Natural Therapeutics Group; and, Chris Kommatas, Director, Amplify Health. Following Minister Pulford’s speech, in which she stated, “What we are doing here in Victoria is ground-breaking,” the panel shared their own perspectives and engaged in Q & A with the audience. When it comes to the cannabis industry, Canada is regarded as a pioneer, having legalised the use of medicinal cannabis in 2001 and its very progressive move to legalise recreational cannabis is set to be available later this year. With this latest move, Canada is tagged to be the largest developed country to end a nationwide prohibition on recreational marijuana. The Canadian cannabis market is currently estimated to worth upward of $10 billion annually. In...

Last week the CACC teamed up with Canadian immersive event company C2 to host a panel discussion and networking event focused on the importance of innovation and embracing disruption in today’s modern economy. As an organization, C2 exists at the intersection of commerce and creativity, and are re-inventing how people experience conferences. The idea is that by provoking unlikely interactions and generating honest discussion amongst attendees, people come away with more meaningful connections and ideas about how to approach business. PICTURE: Martin Enault, CEO Asia Pacific - C2 Moderating the event was Martin Enault, CEO of C2 Asia Pacific, with panel participants including Kate Mason, Group Director of People & Culture at Coca Cola Amatil, Balder Tol, General Manger Australia of workspace provider WeWork, Monica Lunin, Director of training consultancy Mojologic, and Adam Jacobs co-founder and MD of online fashion retailer The Iconic. Opening remarks were delivered by Councilor Jess Scully from The City of Sydney.   PICTURE: Adam Jacobs - Co-Founder The Iconic, Balder Tol - General Manager Australia WeWork and Kate Mason - Group Director People & Culture Coca-Cola Amatil However, unlike most panel events, attendees were not purely observers, and following an initial discussion by panelists all attendees took part in a group dialogue known as the ‘Barometer Lab’ which is facilitated by the formation of break out groups covering topics such as the effects of digitization on the workplaces of today, and how to build a sustainable foundation for companies in the future. PICTURE: Doug Carmichael, President CACC These break out groups were divided based on each attendee’s view of a particular topic, and after discussing as a sub-group, C2 facilitated dialogue amongst all attendees which demonstrated a diversity of thought and emphasized the different perspectives amongst all those present. This format provided an excellent way...

There is a new service bringing Canadians and Australians closer together, with Air Canada launching its first direct flights from Melbourne to Vancouver. The Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Air Canada, held an event to mark the launch of the new service. Air Canada General Manager for Australia and New Zealand Vic Naughton said the launch represented an exciting time for the airline. “Air Canada is undergoing a transformation that has seen the airline grow 40 per cent in the last three years,” Mr Naughton said. “We’re proud to have been named Skytrax Best Airline in North America for the sixth time in eight years and this new service increases our offering to the Australian market.” “We are the only North American airline that flies directly into three Australian cities – Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.” The Honourary Consul General of Canada in Melbourne Rene Lalande said the new service would provide enhanced opportunities for both countries to expand business, trade, economic and tourism relations. “This new service provides a gateway for Canadians to experience Melbourne’s diverse culture, including its coffee, food and sporting events. It is also an opportunity for Melbournians to experience the fantastic offerings in Vancouver,” Mr Lalande said. Air Canada is also positioning Vancouver as the new transit destination into the United States as an alternative to Los Angeles International Airport. The launch featured a guest performance by Canadian band The Glorious Sons, who are currently touring Australia with Australian band Dead Letter Circus. Lead Singer Brett Emmons said there were a lot of similarities between Canada and Australia. “If there’s ever a Canadian and an Australian in a bar, they’ll find each other,” he said. “We have a lot in common.” Asked about their musical debut in Australia, Emmons said they had been...

Commerce and creativity well and truly intersect with the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC) announcing new corporate sponsor, C2. Described as “disruptors, innovators, executives, next generation”, C2 is a Canadian company that was founded in 2011 by Cirque du Soleil and creative services firm Sid Lee and has recently declared Melbourne home to its Asia Pacific head quarters. “We are proud that the CACC and all that it stands for has garnered the attention and support of C2, our newest and most imaginative corporate sponsor,” said Doug Carmichael, CACC Acting President and Director.  “As an organisation with vision, C2 sees the benefit of strategically positioning itself in Australia, particularly in an effort to build new trade routes with China. “C2’s sponsorship certainly supports the CACC in building business connections between our two economies in creative and exciting ways,” said Mr Carmichael. “Key drivers of the world economy are shifting,” Martin Enault, CEO, C2 Asia Pacific, said. “We believe the Asia Pacific region will play an increasingly dominant role in the future, therefore it’s important our brand is positioned in Australia for the long term.” “Australia overall, and Victoria in particular, boasts a rich innovation ecosystem that is ripe for international attention.  “By launching an inaugural experience in Melbourne, we can draw the world’s most notable disruptors, innovators, executives and governments to engage with and learn from, while celebrating local talent and showcasing the best that Melbourne has to offer,” said Mr Enault. C2’s raison d'être is to transform the way people think about the role of creativity in business. And in turn, how this creativity leads to innovative, actionable ideas to meet the ever changing challenges of modern times. There are effectively three distinct and innovative ways to engage with C2: via the multi-day, branded conference experiences such as C2 Melbourne; corporate experiences...

In recognition of International Women’s Day, the CACC held events in both Melbourne and Sydney to explore the topic of gender diversity.     In Melbourne, CACC corporate sponsor, Drake International hosted a panel including four industry leaders:  René Lalande, CEO, Transdev Australasia, Honourary Consul of Canada, Melbourne; Susan Oliver, Founding Chairman, Scale Investors; Amanda O'Brien, CEO, Xtreme Freight and Chairman, Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia; and Lisa Williams, Chief Procurement Officer, The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport & Resources (DEDJTR). In Sydney, the event was hosted by CACC corporate sponsor, KPMG, and included a panel discussion with some prestigious guests: Ms. Angela J Bogdan, Consul General of Canada; Liz Griffin, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Commonwealth Bank; Craig Mennie, National Leader Transaction Services, KPMG Australia; and Libby Davies, Chief Executive Officer, White Ribbon. The discussions started with a look at the backgrounds of the panelists.  In Sydney, most started in teaching, before moving onto other professions; while in Melbourne, the panelists initially began in traditionally male-dominated occupations.  Regardless of their beginnings, all of panelists have a passion for encouraging and supporting the impact that women can have in the workplace. With moderator, Melissa Wharton, Founder, Thread, directing both events, other common themes prevailed in both panels. A question about “feminism” raised many valid points related to how words can take on different meanings for different people and how people have different associations with words. The consensus was that “gender equality” was more appropriate term to use today. However, the notion of feminism should not be dismissed.  In Melbourne, Susan states, “It’s part of a proud history of women that have fought for something – and we should remember and give credit for that history”.  In Sydney, Libby remarked “Feminism has a very important function in drawing the attention of every one of us –...

Last week the CACC’s SME Committee hosted another successful roundtable event (21 Feb) which focused on advice for Australian businesses looking to expand into Canada. Moderated by Chris Beal from RFC Ambrian, panelists included Josh Khoddami from Neu.Capital, Angela Rossi from Altios International, and Kane Bourke from OMF Markets, who hosted the roundtable in their Sydney office. The discussion covered a range of topics relevant to Australian businesses looking to enter Canada including incorporation, financial considerations, as well as legal and administrative matters. So what do you need to know? Let’s start with the basics: First, on average it takes between 1-3 months to set up a business in Canada. While finding the right advice can make the process more efficient, the amount of time required is also largely dependent what the nature of your business is. Second, Australia and Canada operate very different national models for doing business, with Australia (generally speaking) being a much easier environment to set up a company in, while Canada is a bit trickier in terms of incorporation, tax, grants and other considerations as these vary widely from Province to Province. If your company doesn’t need to be based in a specific location within Canada, make sure you evaluate the pros and cons of setting up in each province to ensure the location you are incorporated in is the best possible fit. Third, get the right advice and advisers. While this may seem commonsense, one panelist made the point that his business found it difficult to find a lawyer (even from a global firm) who could work seamlessly across multiple Provincial regulations. Finding a bank who can work across both borders easily (NAB for instance) can also make the transition process much easier. And while working out the myriad of decisions for yourself can seem like you are saving money, paying for the right advice...