Strengthening Canada
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Dear friends,
Fifty years ago, a group of patriotic and civic-minded CEOs joined forces to form the Business Council on National Issues. Their goal was to work together “to help strengthen the country’s economy, its social fabric and its democratic institutions.”
Half a century later, the name of the organization has changed, but the goal remains the same.
The leaders and entrepreneurs who are members of the Business Council of Canada care passionately about our country and are committed to keeping Canada the best place in the world to live, work, invest and grow. They share the belief that businesses and their leaders have a responsibility not only to their employees, customers and shareholders, but to society as a whole.
That commitment has led to the Council advocating on a wide range of issues, including national unity, climate change, defence, regulatory reform, skills development and international trade.
Our focus is on creating conditions in which all Canadians can succeed and prosper.
The past year has been a challenging one for our country. Many people are struggling to pay the bills as costs increase. Our relationship with our largest trading partner is being tested. Concerns over national unity are adding to a sense of uncertainty and unease.
But I’m optimistic about what we can accomplish if we come together with a shared vision for our future.
We can strengthen our economy in so many ways, including through smart regulatory reform and removing, once and for all, costly interprovincial trade barriers.
We can strategically diversify our markets by forging stronger relationships with other countries and creating the conditions to get our goods to market.
And we can stabilize our relationship with the United States by renewing our mutually beneficial North American trade agreement, the USMCA.
Strengthen our economy, strategically diversify and stabilize our U.S. relationship. I believe we can – and must – do all three and come out stronger for it.
Yours truly,
Goldy Hyder
President and CEO
Business Council of Canada
Latest Newsletters
We’re excited to share our new BCC Substack. It will be a home for deeper analysis, commentary, and insights from our team on the issues that matter most to Canada’s economy.
In our first post, Goldy Hyder reflects on his recent trip to Washington, D.C., where he met with U.S. officials, members of Congress and business leaders to discuss the future of USMCA and Canada’s trade priorities. He shares what he learned, the opportunities ahead, and why building strong North American and global trade relationships is more important than ever.
OnJanuary 26th, three influential leaders joined Goldy Hyder at Canadian Club Toronto for an insightful conversation on how Canada can strengthen its trade corridors and position itself for long-term growth. Max Koeune, president and CEO of McCain Foods, Tracy Robinson, president and CEO of CN and Sean Strickland, executive director of Canada’s Building Trades Unionsexplored how Canada can better leverage its strategic advantages in a more competitive global economy.
In 2026, the Business Council of Canada marks its 50th anniversary. Founded with the ambition to bring Canada’s business leaders together to strengthen the economy, society, and democratic institutions, those goals continue to guide our work today.
