COVID-19 Crisis and Recovery: The Policy Playbook
Webinar with David Dodge, Dwight Duncan, Janet Ecker, and Michael Horgan
COVID-19 and the public-health measures to contain it have hammered the Canadian economy. Governments are responding with a myriad of measures to support individuals and businesses. How should we balance the imperatives of containing the disease and ensuring a robust recovery? Join the C.D. Howe Institute on April 2nd to hear an expert panel on responses to date and what should come next.
Please follow this link to register.
David Dodge, Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones LLP; Former Governor, Bank of Canada
A native of Toronto, Mr. Dodge received a bachelor’s degree (honours) from Queen’s University, and a PhD in economics from Princeton.
During his academic career, he taught economics at Queen’s University; at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; at the Faculty of Commerce at the University of British Columbia; and at Simon Fraser University. He also served as Director of the International Economics Program of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Mr. Dodge has been awarded honorary degrees from a number of Canadian universities. In 2009, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
During a distinguished career in the federal public service, Mr. Dodge held senior positions in the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the Anti-Inflation Board, and the Department of Employment and Immigration. After serving in a number of increasingly senior positions at the Department of Finance, including that of G-7 Deputy, he was Deputy Minister of Finance from 1992 to 1997. In that role, he served as a member of the Bank of Canada’s Board of Directors.
In 1998 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Health, a position he held until his appointment as Governor of the Bank of Canada.
Mr. Dodge, appointed Governor of the Bank of Canada, effective 1 February 2001 for a term of seven years, retired on 31 January 2008. From July 2008 to June 2014, he served as Chancellor of Queen’s University. From 2009 to 2015, he was a member of the board of directors of Canadian Utilities Limited, ATCO Limited and the Bank of Nova Scotia.
Mr. Dodge is Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP one of Canada’s leading law firms. He also serves on the board of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and Chairs the National Council of the C.D. Howe Institute.
Dwight Duncan, Senior Strategic Advisor, McMillan LLP; Former Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Government of Ontario
Dwight Duncan serves as a Senior Strategic Advisor at McMillan LLP, one of Canada’s largest and most respected full service law firms. Mr. Duncan also serves as a Principle of McMillan Vantage the firm’s wholly owned public policy advisory firm.
Mr. Duncan currently sits on the Board of Directors, and Chairs the Audit Committees, of Travelers Insurance Canada and the Dominion General Insurance Company. In addition he sits on the Boards of Directors of Crown Crest Trust, and the Global Risk Institute.
Mr. Duncan also Chairs the Board of Directors of the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority, the federal crown corporation overseeing the construction and operation of the $5.7 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Duncan, also sits on the Board of Directors of the MS Society of Canada’s Scientific Research Foundation where he serves as Treasurer.
Recently, Mr. Duncan served on the Board of Directors of Natura Naturals where he sat on the Board Special Committee that oversaw and negotiated the $82 million sale of Natura to Tilray Inc.
Prior to joining McMillan, Mr. Duncan had a distinguished career in public service that spanned close to 25 years.
During his time as a Member of the Ontario Legislature he served as Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet, Chair of Cabinet, Government House Leader, Minister of Energy, Minister of Revenue, Minister of Government Services and Opposition House Leader.
Duncan delivered six budgets and authored historic reforms to Ontario’s tax, pension, insurance, and energy regimes. As Finance Minister, he lowered corporate and personal taxes, eliminated the capital tax and created the harmonized sales tax (HST). During his tenure, the Government of Ontario invested record sums in infrastructure, healthcare and education to lay the foundation for improved productivity and a more prosperous economy.
Duncan oversaw several large commercial transactions on behalf of the Province. These included lease extensions with Teranet, the reorganization of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Ontario’s first P3 highway projects, including the RT. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway, and the financial restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler.
Mr. Duncan also had Ministerial responsibility for the Ontario Securities Commission, the Ontario Energy Board, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Hydro One, and Ontario Power Generation.
Mr. Duncan holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and MBA (University of Windsor) as well as a B.A. (Economics –McGill University).
Mr. Duncan has received numerous awards and distinctions including an honorary doctorate of laws degree from the University of Windsor, where he currently serves as Executive-in-Residence at the Odette School of Business.
In addition, he has received the Queen’s Gold and Diamond Jubilee Medals, and recognition as one of Toronto’s 50 most influential people by Toronto Life Magazine (2012).
Janet Ecker, President, Kilwaughter Consulting; Former Minister of Finance, Government of Ontario
Janet L. Ecker is the former President and founding CEO of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA), a concept she turned into an influential public-private partnership dedicated to building Toronto as an international financial services centre. With government and industry support, she also established the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services to leverage the sector’s global reputation for stability, as well as the Centre of Excellence in Financial Services Education to capitalize on the region’s talent advantages. The Centre was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a best practice in collaborative public-private partnerships.
Under her leadership, TFSA also led several other successful collaborations among governments and the financial sector, including Canada’s bid to become the North American trading hub for the Chinese currency, the Renminbi and the first public-private sector pilot projects in work-integrated-learning and cybersecurity.
A former Minister of Finance for Ontario, Canada’s largest province, and the first woman to deliver a budget in the province, Ms Ecker also delivered significant public policy reforms during her political career as Minister of Education, Minister of Community and Social Services and Government House Leader. Before entering public life, Ms. Ecker was the Director of Policy for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the doctors’ regulatory body and was the first non-physician to hold the position.
A frequent public speaker and media commentator, she currently sits on a wide range of public and private sector boards, agencies and government advisory committees and is a Senior Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute and a member of its National Council.
In 2016 she received the Order of Canada for public service, in recognition of her contributions in the financial sector and in her political life. She also received the “Excellence in Leadership” award from the Transformation Institute for Leadership and Innovation in 2014, a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for public service in 2012 and was recognized as one of the “Most Influential People in the World’s Financial Centres” by Financial Centres International in 2010. She also received one of “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award” from the Women’s Executive Network and the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2003. Ms. Ecker is one of the founders of Equal Voice, a national, multi-partisan organization working to elect more women.
Michael Horgan, Senior Advisory, Bennett Jones LLP; Former Deputy Minister of Finance, Government of Canada
With over 36 years of experience in the public sector, Michael Horgan provides clients with strategic advice on the financial sector and on the Canadian and international economies. In addition, he has expertise on Aboriginal, energy and environmental issues.
Prior to joining Bennett Jones, Michael held several high-level positions, including Deputy Minister of Finance, Government of Canada; Executive Director for the Canadian, Irish and Caribbean Constituency, International Monetary Fund; Deputy Minister of the Environment and Deputy Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Government of Canada.
In 2007, Michael was awarded the Prime Minister's Outstanding Achievement Award for Public Service. In 2013, he received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
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