Executives from OpenText, MDA Space, and La Caisse joined a group of 23 businesses and organizations that met with Prime Minister Mark Carney for a closed-door economic update meeting Monday.
The news: The Prime Minister’s Office notified the media of the meeting Monday evening, saying Carney convened the group of business leaders to discuss developments in the Canada-US trade relationship, share the government’s economic growth priorities, and invite attendees to share their thoughts with the Prime Minister on behalf of their industries.
The 23 companies at the meeting represented different major sectors of the economy, including energy, banking, consumer goods, telecommunications, tech, and more. MDA Space confirmed its CEO, Mike Greenley, was in attendance, but told BetaKit it was unable to share further details given the meeting’s sensitivity. La Caisse also declined to comment.
From the source: “There’s a positive opportunity that has always existed with the United States for a mutually beneficial trade deal that respects Canadian sovereignty,” Carnrey told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday morning. “When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious … we can have those discussions.”
The context: Trade talks between Canada and the United States have been on pause for almost two weeks after Canada left the negotiating table, leading the US to enact sweeping 50 percent tariffs on many Canadian goods. Carney said on Tuesday that US negotiators took the position that core Canadian industries would have to become subsidiaries to US counterparts or be “wiped out.”
Final thought: The Prime Minister’s meeting with key Canadian business leaders comes just a few weeks before the first-ever Canada Investment Summit. Spearheaded by Carney, the summit looks to bring some of the world’s largest investors, who collectively manage almost $120 trillion, to Toronto to help attract new investment into Canada.
Feature image courtesy Mark Carney via X.