WCEF 2026 PROGRAM

january 22 & 23, 2026

The Fairmont, Winnipeg, MB

Day 1: Thursday, January 22, 2026

8:00AM Registration: Coffee & Networking

8:55AM Special Guests

9:00AM Welcome to a Growing Manitoba Economy at the Heart of Canada

The Honourable Wab Kinew (Invited)

Premier of Manitoba

Chuck Davidson

Chief Executive Officer

Manitoba Chamber of Commerce

Ryan Kuffner

Chief Executive Officer

Winnipeg Economic Development

9:30AM Government of Canada: Growth in the West and Growth in Canada

The Right Honourable Mark Carney (Invited)

Prime Minister of Canada

The Honourable Maninder Sidhu (Invited)

Minister of International Trade

10:00AM A Commitment to Economic Reconciliation

Presented by Dean Gagné, Chief Disruption and Growth Officer, Innovation Federal Credit Union

Cadmus Delorme

Founder, OneHoop

Chair, Reconciliation Education

10:30AM BREAK

10:45AM The Political Landscape in 2026: What it Means for the West

Patrick Kennedy

Principal

Earnscliffe Strategies

Michael Solberg

Partner

New West Public Affairs Inc.

WCEF Western Education Seminar Session

11:15AM Western Alienation: Fact, Fiction & Varied Opinions

Shachi Kurl

President, Angus Reid Institute

11:30AM The Resentment Index: Insights, Interpretations & Implications

Jennifer Ditchburn

Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Research on Public Policy

11:45AM Equalization Payments: Objectives, Observations & Objections

Mike Holden

Vice President, Policy & Chief Economist, Business Council of Alberta

12:00PM LUNCH

1:00PM The Western Business Coalition: Driving Canadian Prosperity Through Natural Resources

Heather Exner-Pirot

Senior Fellow and Director of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Bram Strain

President

Business Council of Manitoba

Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce

Business Council of Alberta

Business Council of British Columbia

1:30PM Exports to Asia: A Wake Up Call for the West?

Kirsten Hillman (Invited)

Ambassador of Canada to the United States

Government of Canada

Vina Nadjibulla

Vice-President, Research & Strategy

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

2:00PM Business Growth and Expansion in the West

Alison Nankivell

Chief Executive Officer

Export Development Canada

Business Development Bank of Canada

Canada Infrastructure Bank

2:30PM STRETCH BREAK & COFFEE TALK

Sponsored by Walk the Block at 8 O’Clock

2:45PM Special Report Release & Presentation:

IMPACT-100: The 100 Largest Companies in Western Canada

3:00PM From the West to the World: Provincial International Engagement & Results

3:30PM The 2026 Western Seminar & Keynote Address

To Be Announced

4:00PM Closing Remarks

4:15PM END OF DAY 1 PROGRAM

5:30PM WCEF Reception & TheWest40 Leadership Recognition

TheWest40: Top 40 Emerging Leaders in Economic Development in the West

Day 2: Friday, January 23, 2026

WCEF LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLES – Invite Only

8:30AM Registration & Coffee

9:00AM WCEF Leadership Roundtables

Rountable 1:

TheWest40: Emerging Leaders in Economic Development in the West

Chair: To Be Announced

Roundtable 2:

Economic Forecasting & Analysis - Westernomics: An Economic Outlook for Western Canada

Chair: Matthew Steward, Partner, Deloitte

& Launch of the Thatcher-Brooks Leadership Development Program for Economists & Data Analysts

Roundtable 3:

Financing Business Growth in the West

Chair: Willy Fogang, Regional Director, EDC

Roundtable 4:

Natural Resources Export Infrastructure

Chair: Heather Exner-Pirot, Director of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Roundtable 5:

Interprovincial Trade in the West

Chair: To Be Announced