Dan Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Wednesday June 12, 2013 - Toronto Roundtable Event - Are We Too Good for “Bad” Jobs? A Look at Small Business and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
While skills shortages in Canada are increasingly understood, small firms in many parts of the country are reporting a growing shortage of labour - including entry-level and semi-skilled occupations. Many have turned to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program for some relief. The TFW program has become controversial, as many, including outgoing Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, have suggested it is inappropriate to bring lower-skilled foreign workers to Canada. Dan Kelly shared new data on skills and labour shortages for small firms, discussed the importance of the TFW program to small business, and challenged the thinking around so-called "bad" jobs.
Dan Kelly serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). In this capacity, Dan is the lead spokesperson and advocate for the views of the Federation's 109,000 small and medium-sized member businesses.
Dan joined CFIB in 1994 as Policy Analyst for the Prairies and, soon after, became Director of Provincial Affairs for Manitoba. Dan led many files, including the call for balanced budget laws and workers’ compensation reform. In 1999, Dan moved to Calgary to become CFIB’s Western Vice-President and was named one of Alberta’s 50 most influential people while in that role. In Western Canada, Dan led the Federation’s work on the growing shortage of labour, training and immigration, publishing many influential studies on these files. In 2009, Dan took on the role of Senior Vice-President, Legislative Affairs, where he led CFIB's successful campaign to establish a Code of Conduct for the credit and debit card industry. CFIB’s Board of Governors appointed Dan as President and CEO as of June 2012.
Dan currently serves on the Advisory Committee to the Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Dan has served on dozens of provincial and federal committees and task forces and has represented Canada’s small businesses at the International Labour Organisation in Geneva. He is presently serving as secretary to the International Small Business Congress (ISBC).
Prior to joining CFIB, Dan served as a policy advisor to the Premier of Manitoba. In this capacity, Dan gained a great deal of knowledge on the legislative and political functions of government - specializing in rural development, transportation and economic matters.
Dan was born and raised in Winnipeg and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Manitoba. Immediately following university, Dan spent a year living and teaching in northern Japan.
Dan and his wife Nylia live in Toronto with their young son Kennedy.
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