WCEF 2026 PROGRAM
january 22 & 23, 2026
The Fairmont, Winnipeg, MB
Day 1: Thursday, January 22, 2026
8:00AM Registration: Coffee & Networking
8:55AM “O Canada”
Special Guests
9:00AM Welcome to a Growing Manitoba Economy at the Heart of Canada
Presented by MLT Aikins LLP
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
Presented by MLT Aikins LLP
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 NETWORKING & COFFEE 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.
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
CESaskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
Alicia Planincic
Director of Policy & Economics, Business Council of Alberta
Denise Mullen
Director, Environment, Sustainability & Indigenous Relations
Business Council of British Columbia
1:30PM 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
2:00PM 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 (www.walkingtheblock.com)
2:45PM Special Report Release & Presentation:
IMPACT-100: The Top 100 Largest Companies in Western Canada
3:00PM The West and the United States of America - The New Reality
Kirsten Hillman (invited)
Ambassador of Canada to the United States
Government of Canada
3:30PM International Engagement to Drive Business Growth in the West
Invest in Canda
Invest Alberta
Government of Saskatchewan (Invited)
4:00PM The 2026 Western Seminar (Keynote Address)
To Be Announced
4:25PM Closing Remarks
4:30PM 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:Top 40 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