Around the world, countries are moving to secure their economic futures — investing in energy, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and the infrastructure that moves those products to global markets. They are not just growing; they are competing.
Canada cannot afford to stand still.
It’s time to act.
The Coalition for a Better Future, in partnership with the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, will examine the 2026 Scorecard Report, which measures Canada's progress toward long-term, inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
The 2026 Scorecard Report provides a clear, data-driven assessment of how Canada is performing on the fundamentals that matter most: our living standards, our capacity for innovation and investment, and our progress in building a greener economy that strengthens our economic resilience.
Students!
How do you see the future of Canadians? Are you interested in finding ways to reduce poverty and racial wage gaps? In increasing the number of Indigenous people and women in senior management roles? In having your say on environmental issues that affect Canadians in their everyday lives? Let’s come together as youth, social policy advocates, business leaders and concerned citizens to have an open, thought-provoking discussion on where we stand as a country.
The Telfer School of Management is committed to building a better Canada, and is the research partner for the Coalition for a Better Future. On March 26, Telfer will convene its third annual Better Canada Youth Forum, in conjunction with the imminent launch of the coalition’s 2026 Scorecard Report on Canada’s economic progress.
Discussions will cover key metrics determining Canada’s success and the ways youth like you can build a better Canada. Dialogue will centre on the following six themes;
• Living standards
• Human capital
• Scale through innovation
• Canadian global champions
• Climate change
• Economic resilience
LinkedIn Badge: you will receive a LinkedIn badge by email after the event, so you can proudly share that you participated in the 2026 Better Canada Youth Forum.
Schedule:
• 8:30 a.m.: Registration opens, continental breakfast and networking
• 9:00 a.m.: Welcome and opening remarks
• 9:10 a.m.: Panel: From Ambition to Execution - What is the state of Canada’s economy, and what must come next?
We will examine the findings of the 2026 Scorecard Report and discuss how Canada can overcome declining growth amidst geopolitical uncertainties.
Presenters:
Hon. Anne McLellan, co-chair, Coalition for a Better Future
Hon. Lisa Raitt, co-chair, Coalition for a Better Future; Vice-Chair, Global Investment Banking, CIBC
Carolyn Wilkins, External Member of Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee, Senior Research Scholar at Princeton
Moderator: Michael Serapio, Host, PrimeTime Politics, CPAC
Speaker: Hon. Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development)
Moderator: Michael Serapio, Host, PrimeTime Politics, CPAC
• 10:15 a.m.: Presentation - Decoding the Data: Insights on youth, the economy, and opportunity
Speaker: Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist & Founder, Nanos Research
• 10:25 a.m.: Panel: Workforce of the Future - Skills, talent and the next economy
We’ll explore the critical skills and talent required to power Canada’s future economy. Panellists will share insights on how to develop the workforce needed to support long-term, sustainable economic growth
Presenters:
Catherine Blewett, Strategic Advisor, Arctic Economic Development Corporation, Former Secretary to the Treasury Board & Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council
Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs, Former Deputy Minister of Health Canada
Victoria Mancinelli, Director of Public Relations, Communications, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, LiUNA! Canada
Claudio Rojas, CEO, National Angel Capital Organization
Moderator: Michael Serapio, Host, PrimeTime Politics, CPAC
• 11:15 a.m.: Panel: Unlocking Canada’s potential - Leveraging strengths and driving investment
This solutions-focused panel will explore how Canada can build lasting economic success by leaning into strengths across regions and sectors. The candid conversation will explore how we can move Canada faster, smarter and with greater confidence toward a more prosperous future.
Presenters:
Justine Hendricks, President and CEO, Farm Credit Canada
Jeff Nankivell, President and CEO, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Kristan Straub, President and CEO, Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation
Marie-Eve Sylvestre, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa
Moderator: Michael Serapio, Host, PrimeTime Politics, CPAC
• 11:55 a.m.: Closing remarks
• 12:00 p.m.: Refreshmentsand networking
• 12:30 p.m.: Event concludes
Please note that this event will be mainly conducted in English.
Speakers:
Honourable A. Anne McLellan, P.C., O.C., A.O.E. served four terms as the Liberal MP for Edmonton Centre, during which she was Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Minister of Health, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Minister of Natural Resources.
In May 2015, Ms. McLellan became Dalhousie University’s seventh chancellor, a position she held until May 2020.
Ms. McLellan serves on the board of Invest Alberta Corporation as vice-chair. Among her many community commitments, she is chair of 0the board of the TELUS Edmonton Community Board. She also serves on the boards of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Ms. McLellan is Co-Chair of the Coalition for a Better Future, a diverse group of over 140 organizations working together to focus on sustainable, inclusive economic growth.
In 2022, Ms. McLellan was appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel for the 41 Combat Engineer Regiment (41 CER), a Reserve unit of the 41 Canadian Brigade-Group (41 CBG).
Following her political tenure, Ms. McLellan served as a senior advisor at Bennett Jones in its Edmonton office from 2006 to 2024.
From 1980 – 1992 she was a professor in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law and served as both Associate Dean (1985 – 1987) and Acting Dean (1991 – 1992) of the Faculty. Ms. McLellan holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Law degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Laws degree from King's College, University of London.
The Honourable Lisa Raitt serves as the co-chair of the Coalition for a Better Future, a diverse group of Canadian leaders and organizations spanning business, labour and civil society – working together to achieve a long-term plan for economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable.
Ms. Raitt brings a wealth of experience from the public and private sectors. She was elected to the House of Commons in 2008, holding three senior portfolios, serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Transport. Most recently, Ms. Raitt was the Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada.
Ms. Raitt joined CIBC Capital Markets in January 2020, having previously worked in both the public and private sectors. Ms. Raitt’s current focus is on senior client coverage and business development with clients in the energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors, which align closely with her deep expertise. Prior to her current role, Ms. Raitt was the President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority.
Ms. Raitt holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Francis Xavier University, a Master's degree in Chemistry from the University of Guelph, and a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Ontario bar in 1998. In 2020, Ms. Raitt was named a Woodrow Wilson Center Global Fellow of the Canada Institute.
In June 2024, Ms. Raitt was presented with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa.
Stéphane Brutus is the Dean of the Telfer School of Management. He obtained his PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Bowling Green State University. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center of Creative Leadership (CCL) in Greensboro, North Carolina. At Concordia University, Dr. Brutus served as Dean (Interim), Associate Dean Graduate Professional Programs, and Chair of the Management Department. He was also Director of Bell Research Center for Business Process Innovation.
Dr. Brutus’ research focused mainly on feedback processes in organizations. His research has been published in the Journal of Management, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Personnel Psychology, Leadership Quarterly, Human Resource Management Review, and Journal of Business and Psychology. He was a Visiting Professor at Universidade Federal da Bahia, in Brazil and Universidad Pablo de Olavide and Instituto de Empresa, in Spain.
Nik Nanos leads Nanos Research, a Canadian-based research organization that delivers insight to clients around the world.
He is the Chief Data Scientist and Founder of Nanos Research, the Chancellor of Carleton University in Canada and a research adjunct professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
Nik leads the team behind the weekly Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index which is streamed to Bloomberg terminals globally every Monday morning. He is featured in a weekly segment on CTV’s News Channel, Nanos on the Numbers, which focuses on the latest political, business, and social trends. He is the pollster of record for CTV News, Canada’s largest private broadcaster, the Globe & Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, Bloomberg News in Canada and a member of the Order of Canada and an Honorary Captain in the Royal Canadian Navy.
Michael is a renowned television anchor and reporter, whose broadcasting career has spanned more than two decades of covering some of the most challenging news stories in real time. In addition to being the face of CPAC's live programming, he hosts the channel's nightly political round-up, PrimeTime Politics, and is the first Filipino-Canadian male to anchor a national newscast in Canada. In 2023, Michael was recognized with a Canadian Screen Award for his work anchoring a breaking news special on the Ottawa occupation in February 2022.
Prior to joining CPAC in 2022, Michael spent 12 years as a host and anchor with CBC News
Carolyn A. Wilkins joined Princeton University’s Griswold Center for Economic Policy as a senior research scholar in January 2022. She also sits on the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee as an external member and on Intact Financial Corporation’s Board of Directors. She is a mentor for the blockchain stream at the Rotman School of Management’s Creative Destruction Lab.
Prior to these appointments, Ms. Wilkins had a distinguished twenty-year career at the Bank of Canada, serving as Senior Deputy Governor from 2014 to 2020, setting monetary and financial system policies with Governing Council, and overseeing strategic planning and economic research. Ms. Wilkins led the development of the Bank’s market liquidity facilities and large-scale asset purchase program as part of its COVID-19 response. She has made important contributions to international financial policies over her career, including as the Bank of Canada’s G20 and G7 Deputy and member of the Financial Stability Board.
Ms. Wilkins holds an Honours BA in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University and an MA in Economics from Western University. She was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award by the Women’s Executive Network in 2016 and 2018.
Justine sits as FCC’s President and CEO after 17 years with Export Development Canada (EDC) and 7 years with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). She is an impactful leader whose diverse experience includes delivering financial services on the front line, overseeing successful organizational transformations, evolving risk management capabilities, spearheading the development of innovative financial products, and developing and executing corporate strategies. Much of her career has been focused on lending to and supporting Canadian businesses across critical sectors, including agriculture and agri-food.
In her time at EDC, Justine was responsible for several different business functions including business development in the resources, forestry, seafood, agricultural equipment, light manufacturing and extractive sectors, the transformation of EDC’s Financing and Investment Group, and full responsibility for EDC’s $9B Insurance and Working Capital Solutions portfolio. Prior to leaving EDC, Justine was appointed to be EDC’s first Chief Sustainability Officer and was responsible for aligning EDC’s 10-year corporate strategy with evolving business principles and practices focused on the environment, human rights, and innovation.
Justine is known for her energizing leadership style, mobilizing and listening to her teams while making sure to put the client at the center of decisions.
Justine is a member of the University of Ottawa Board of Governors and currently sits on their Audit Committee. She also volunteers extensively and has served as Chair of the Digital Opportunity Trust and Chair of the Forum for Young Canadians.
Justine earned an MBA from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Carleton University. She is the recipient of several awards related to her inspirational leadership and community involvement.
Victoria Mancinelli is the Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships for the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA). Through the establishment of strategic partnerships, her role continues to advance equity in the workplace, empowering opportunity and championing women’s causes. She works with all levels of government, community and industry partners to strengthen Canada’s workforce with a significant focus on empowering opportunities for youth and underrepresented communities. She sits on various boards and committees that strengthen our economy and all aspects of community-building. Victoria also holds numerous recognitions for her role in advancing the representation of women in construction.
Catherine Blewett is an accomplished public administrator with extensive experience in the Canadian government and economic development. Currently serving as a Senior Advisor at the Arctic Economic Development Corporation since June 2025, Blewett previously held the role of Secretary at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat from February to June 2024, and Deputy Minister of Economic Development at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada from June 2022 to February 2024. Additional notable positions include Chief Strategic Engagement Officer at the Ocean Frontier Institute, Deputy Clerk to the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to Cabinet with the Government of Canada, and Deputy Minister roles in various sectors within the Nova Scotia government. Blewett holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from Dalhousie University.
Claudio Rojas has 20 years of experience at the intersection of law, entrepreneurship, and capital formation. As CEO of the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO), he leads a national network of 4,000 angel investors who have deployed $1.8 billion across more than 2,000 portfolio companies — catalyzing the private capital that fuels Canada’s innovation economy.
Throughout his career, Claudio has championed an entrepreneurial approach to investing in high-growth ventures, combining strategic foresight with decisive action to identify transformational opportunities and drive long-term value creation.
A CFA Charterholder with an MBA from the Ivey Business School and a JD from Western University, Claudio is a lawyer and member of the Law Society of Ontario and holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He bridges legal, financial, and governance disciplines to strengthen Canada’s innovation economy and advance the entrepreneurs building its future.
Claudio is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs with increased access to capital and transforming Canada into the world’s leading innovation economy.
Kristan has over 25 years of global experience in the mining industry across mineral exploration, mining and metallurgical operations, and senior executive leadership. Before joining Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation, Kristan served as CEO of Wyloo Canada and held senior leadership roles at Glencore, including Vice President of Exploration for Glencore Nickel, President of Koniambo Nickel SAS in New Caledonia, and Vice President of Glencore’s Raglan Mine in Nunavik. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Mining Association of Canada and Ontario Mining Association.
Kristan is a proud band member of Henvey Inlet and French River No.13. He holds an Honours B.Sc in Geology and was awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Laws from Laurentian University in 2025 in recognition of his significant contributions to the global mining industry.
Dr. Stephen Lucas was appointed CEO of Mitacs, which supports business-academic collaboration through post-secondary student internships, in October 2024. He is an accomplished public policy leader with more than 35 years of experience with the Government of Canada, including 10 years as a Deputy Minister. He served as Deputy Minister of Health Canada from 2019-2024, and was previously Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Deputy Secretary of Plans, Consultations and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Privy Council Office.
Dr. Lucas has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Geological Engineering from Queen’s University, and a Ph.D. from Brown University in structural geology and tectonics. In 2025, he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada and received the Vanier Medal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada for his public service contributions and leadership, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeff Nankivell joined APF Canada as President and CEO on September 7, 2021.
Prior to this, he had a 33-year career in Canada's Foreign Service. He held various positions at the Canadian International Development Agency between 1988 and 2008, working on programs related to China, Russia, strategic policy, and international financial institutions. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he was posted three times to Canada's embassy in Beijing – in the development assistance section 1991-95 and 2000-04, and as Deputy Head of Mission 2008-11.
From 2011 to 2016, Jeff served in Ottawa/Gatineau as Director General responsible for Canada’s official development assistance programs across Asia, first with the Canadian International Development Agency and then with Global Affairs Canada. In 2016 he was appointed Consul General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao, serving in Hong Kong until May 2021.
Jeff holds a Master’s degree in political sociology from the London School of Economics, BA in international relations from the University of Toronto and Université Laval, and certificate (one-year program) in Chinese language and culture from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
First elected in 2019, Greg was re-elected in the election of September 20, 2021 to serve in the 44th Parliament, and re-elected on April 28, 2025 to serve in the 45th Parliament.
Before being elected as MP for Calgary Centre in 2019, Greg worked as a financial professional for 20 years. His work put him in close contact with Alberta’s vital oil and gas sector and with technology start-ups, giving him a first-hand understanding of what it takes for hard-working Calgarians to invest, risk, build, and succeed. It’s the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our province and helps make our city great.
Greg works hard to use his financial background to bring on-the-ground expertise in finance, business and resource development to Parliament. As a new MP, Greg has spent time working with his colleagues refining policy on resource development, including the significant strides the industry has taken toward sustainable development, and the many reasons that Canadians should prefer Canadian oil over environmentally and ethically inferior imports.
Greg has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Alberta, and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
As a lifelong Burlington resident, mother, and the youngest female cabinet minister in Canadian history, Karina Gould has been a fierce advocate for her community for the past decade.
Karina was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Burlington in 2015. She currently serves as Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (FINA). She previously served as the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (2023-25), Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (2021-23), Minister of International Development (2019-21), and Minister of Democratic Institutions (2017-19).
A graduate of McGill University and the University of Oxford, MP Gould is passionate about helping Canadian families, public service, and international development. Before her election as the Member of Parliament for Burlington, she worked as a trade and investment specialist for the Mexican Trade Commission in Toronto, a consultant for the Migration and Development Program at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C., and spent a year volunteering at an orphanage in Mexico.
MP Gould has deep roots in her hometown of Burlington, Ontario, and is an active member of the community and an advocate for families, women’s issues, and affordable housing. She has volunteered with and actively supports the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club, the Burlington chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Mississauga Furniture Bank, Halton Women’s Place, and other local organizations.
This event is organized in partnership with the Coalition for a Better Future, as part of its Campus Tour series, and presented in partnership with Shell Canada.
