WCEF 2026 PROGRAM
january 22 & 23, 2026
The Fairmont, Winnipeg, MB
Day 1: Thursday, January 22, 2026
8:00AM Registration: Coffee & Networking
8:45AM “O Canada”
Special Guests
8:50AM Opening Remarks
Host: Althia Raj, National Columnist, Toronto Star. Member, Parliamentary Press Gallery, and CBC “At Issue” Panellist.
9:00AM Welcome to a Growing Manitoba Economy at the Heart of Canada
Presented by MLT Aikins LLP - Adam Levene, Chair, MLT Aikins
The Honourable Wab Kinew (Invited)
Premier of Manitoba
Chuck Davidson
Chief Executive Officer
Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
9:30AM Government of Canada: Growth in the West and Growth in Canada
The Right Honourable Mark Carney (Invited)
Prime Minister of Canada
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 NETWORKING & COFFEE BREAK
10:45AM The Political Landscape in 2026: What it Means for the West
Presented by MLT Aikins - Adam Levene, Chair, MLT Aikins
Patrick Kennedy
Principal
Earnscliffe Strategies
Michael Solberg
Partner
New West Public Affairs Inc.
11:15AM Western Issues & Insights Panel
Western Alienation: Fact, Fiction & Varied Opinions
Shachi Kurl
President
Angus Reid Institute
The Resentment Index: Insights, Interpretations & Implications
Jennifer Ditchburn
Chief Executive Officer
Institute for Research on Public Policy
Equalization Payments: Objectives, Observations & Objections
Mike Holden
Vice President
Policy & Chief Economist, Business Council of Alberta
12:00PM LUNCH (with thanks to Federated Co-op Limited)
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
Prabha Ramaswamy
Chief Executive Officer
Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
Business Council of Alberta
Denise Mullen
Director, Environment, Sustainability & Indigenous Relations
Business Council of British Columbia
1:45PM Exports to Asia: A Wake Up Call for the West?
Global Affairs Canada (Invited)
Vina Nadjibulla
Vice-President, Research & Strategy
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
2:15PM STRETCH BREAK & COFFEE TALK
Sponsored by Walk the Block at 8 O’Clock (www.walkingtheblock.com)
2:30PM Business Growth & Expansion in the West
Guillermo Freire
Senior Vice-President, Mid-Market Group
Export Development Canada
Laura Didyk
Senior Vice-President, Prairie
Business Development Bank of Canada
Canada Infrastructure Bank (Invited)
3:00PM The West and the United States of America - The New Reality in 2026
Kirsten Hillman (invited)
Ambassador of Canada to the United States
Government of Canada
3:30PM Provincial Growth Strategies and Interprovincial Trade
4:00PM The 2026 Western Seminar
To Be Announced
4:25PM Closing Remarks
4:30PM END OF DAY 1 PROGRAM
5:30PM WCEF Reception
IMPACT 100: The Top 100 Largest Companies in Western Canada
Alex Fallon, Founder & Chair
Western Canada Economic Forum
TheWest20: 20 Impactful Leaders in Economic & Business Growth 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:
TheWest20: Top 20 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 Stewart, 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:
Investment Attraction & FDI: International Strategies and Local Impact
Chair: To be announced.