The Business Development Bank of Canada is a Crown corporation and national development bank wholly owned by the Government of Canada, mandated to help create and develop Canadian businesses through financing, growth and transition capital, venture capital and advisory services, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.
Joseph André Michel Vennat is a Canadian civil servant, lawyer, businessman, and former President of the Business Development Bank of Canada. He was fired due to the investigation of the 2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal. In August 2006, Federal Courts deemed his firing illegal and, had his term not expired since his dismissal, he would have been reinstated to office.
Donald James Johnston, was a Canadian lawyer, writer and politician who was Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 1996 to 2006. He was the first non-European to head that organization. From 1978 to 1988, Johnston was a Liberal Party member of the Canadian parliament and served in the cabinets of prime ministers Pierre Trudeau and John Turner. In addition, he was the president of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1990 to 1994. Johnston was an Officer of the Order of Canada, and an Officer of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Marie Thérèse Casgrain,, née Forget was a French Canadian feminist, reformer, politician and senator. She was a leader in the fight for women's right to vote in the province of Quebec, as well as the first woman to lead a political party in Canada. In her later life she opposed nuclear weapons and was a consumer activist. A strong federalist, one of her last political actions, at age 83, was to intervene on the "No" side in the 1980 Quebec sovereignty referendum.
In Canada, the Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are the seven federal government agencies responsible for addressing key economic challenges and furthering economic development, diversification, and job creation specific to their respective regions.
Lise Payette was a Canadian politician, journalist, writer, and businesswoman. She was a Parti Québécois (PQ) minister under the leadership of Premier René Lévesque and National Assembly of Quebec member for the riding of Dorion. Originally a journalist, Payette became a television host in the 1960s. She left politics in 1981 and returned to a successful career in television production and writing.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, also known as Sophie Grégoire, is a retired Canadian television host. She is married to 23rd prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau; the couple separated in 2023. She is involved in charity work, social work, and public speaking focused mainly on the environment, women's issues, and children's issues. She was an ambassador for the WE Charity, which fell into scandal in 2020.
Pierre Karl Péladeau, also known by his initials PKP, is a Canadian businessman, billionaire and former politician. He was also the MNA for Saint-Jérôme. Péladeau is the president and CEO of Quebecor Inc. He used to own Sun Media Corporation. Péladeau is seen as a "strong Quebec nationalist" and an influential businessman in Quebec.
Lawrence Cannon, is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. In early 2006, he was made the Minister of Transport. On October 30, 2008, he relinquished oversight of Transport and was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was defeated in the 2011 federal election by the NDP's Mathieu Ravignat. He was appointed as Canadian Ambassador to France in May 2012, and he served in that position until September 2017.
Therese Brisson is a Canadian former ice hockey player. Brisson played for the Canadian National and Olympic women's ice hockey team from 1993 to 2005. Brisson was a member of Team Canada’s gold medal winning team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She helped Canada win six World Championships in 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004. She earned a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, which marked the first time that women’s hockey was played on an Olympic level.
Jean-Guy Hudon was a Progressive Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1984 to 1993. He was an administrator by career.
Françoise Bertrand, is a Canadian business personality. She is the first woman to head a North American television network, as CEO and president of Télé-Québec, and was the first woman to serve as chairperson of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), a position she held from 1996 to 2001. Bertrand was inducted into the National Order of Quebec in 2008 and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013. She has served as president and CEO of Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec from 2003 to 2016, the first woman to hold the position. She is currently the first woman to serve as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Via Rail Canada Inc., a position she has held since April 2017.
Mélanie Joly is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served as minister of Foreign Affairs since October 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Joly represents the Montreal-area riding of Ahuntsic-Cartierville in the House of Commons, taking office as a member of Parliament (MP) following the 2015 federal election. She has held a number of portfolios including Canadian heritage, tourism, and La Francophonie. Joly ran for mayor of Montreal in the 2013 Montreal municipal election, placing second behind eventual winner Denis Coderre.
AtkinsRéalis Group Inc., previously known as SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., is a Canadian company based in Montreal that provides engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services to various industries, including mining and metallurgy, environment and water, infrastructure, and clean energy. AtkinsRéalis was the largest construction company, by revenue, in Canada, as of 2021.
Marie-Claude Bibeau is a Canadian politician who is the current Minister of National Revenue. She was elected to represent the riding of Compton—Stanstead in the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election. A member of the Liberal Party, she was sworn in as minister of International Development and La Francophonie on November 4, 2015. She was appointed the first female minister of Agriculture on March 1, 2019.
Marc-André Blanchard is a Canadian executive, lawyer and former diplomat. He served as Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, from April 1, 2016 until July 31, 2020.
Simone Marie Yvette Hudon-Beaulac was a Canadian painter and printmaker.
The 44th G7 summit was held on 8–9 June 2018, in La Malbaie in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. This was the sixth time since 1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings.
Amina Gerba is a Cameroonian-Canadian businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Afrique Expansion, Afrique Expansion Forum, and Afrique Expansion magazine. She also founded the beauty care brands Kariliss and Kariderm–the latter being the world's first shea butter product to earn organic certification. In 2014, she was a recipient of the National Order of Quebec. She is a director for the Canadian Council on Africa, African Business Roundtable, and Fonds Afro-Entrepreneurs, and is the president of the board of directors for Entreprendre Ici. In 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated her to the Canadian Senate, as a Senator for Quebec.
The Century Initiative is a Canadian lobby group and charity that aims to increase Canada's population to 100 million by 2100. This includes increasing the population of megaregions, which are interlocking areas with more than one city centre and a typical population of 5 million or more.
