Everybody's Business: How to Ensure CDN Prosperity through the 21st Century

We invite you to join us for light refreshments following the conversation.

Topic: Everybody's Business: How to Ensure Canadian Prosperity through the Twenty-First Century (‎Sutherland House Books, 2023)

Written by: Dany Assaf, Joe Manget and Walid Hejazi

Speakers:

Dany H. Assaf, Partner, Torys LLP

Joe Manget, Chairman and CEO, EHN Canada

Walid Hejazi, Professor of Economic Analysis and Policy, Academic Director, Executive Programs, Rotman School of Management

Moderator: Amanda Lang, Host, Taking Stock, Bell Media

Book Synopsis:

Nurturing individual talent in the Canadian Business sector

Every generation of Canadians wants to pass on an even better version of Canada to the next. But in 1967, Canada was the world’s ninth largest economy; today it is seventeenth. In terms of income per person, we’ve fallen from third to fifteenth. What kind of Canada are we really leaving our children? How do we avoid falling further behind in the twenty-first century economy? In this passionate manifesto for Canadian renewal, business leaders Assaf, Hejazi and Manget draw on interviews with over 100 thought leaders, politicians, CEOs, union leaders to craft a new way of thinking about our national opportunities. Now that technology has democratized the tools of modern productivity, they argue, we need to shift our focus from tired old industrial strategies and protectionist policies to nurturing individual talent. All the resources of government and business should be concentrated on unleashing the enormous potential of Canada’s spectacularly diverse, highly-educated, and supremely motivated citizens. Only by betting on the productivity and potential of the Canadian people can we leave our children with a nation and an economy of which we can all be proud.

About our Speakers:

Dany H. Assaf, Partner, Torys LLP

Dany is an author and globally recognized lawyer with deep and broad international business experience advising and helping businesses grow worldwide. Dany specializes in competition and foreign investment law and policy having worked on some of the largest and most complex global and Canadian mergers and investigations over the last 25 years. Dany’s international business experience includes opening the first offices for a major Canadian law firm in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Dany also serves on the boards of Unity Health, Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Dany has taught and lectured on competition and foreign investment law at major Canadian universities and written and been a commentator on almost all major Canadian media platforms including the Globe and Mail, the Star and the National Post newspapers and the CBC and CTV television networks. Dany has also been involved in many community initiatives and projects over the years including been President of the Canadian Club of Toronto and an advocate for the No Fly List Kids project to name a few. Dany and his wife Lisa also co-founded the annual Fast in the 6 event held on Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square bringing Canadians of all backgrounds together to celebrate its motto: Diversity.Unity.Prosperity.

Dany is the author of the memoir "Say Please and Thank You & Stand In Line: One Man's Story of What Makes Canada Special, and How to Keep It that Way" (Published by Sutherland House Books). This book has been ranked an #1 Amazon Best Seller, Arab and Middle Eastern Biographies.

Joe Manget, Joe Manget, Chairman and CEO, EHN Canada

Joe Manget is currently Chair and CEO of EHN Canada, the country’s largest provider of mental health and addiction services. He holds board positions with MedCurrent Corporation (Chair); Leap/Pecaut Centre for Social Impact (co-founder); New Start Foundation for Mental Health and Addiction (co-founder) as well as chairing the Health Sector Audit Committee for the province of Ontario, which has purview over the spending of the Ministries of Health and Long Term Care.

Joe has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Mechanical Engineering) from the University of Toronto, a Masters of Management Science from Stanford University, a Masters of Business Research from Henley Business School and is currently completing a Doctorate of Business Administration (part-time) on mental health and addiction outcomes at Henley Business School. Joe started his career as an engineer at IBM Canada (now Celestica), moved to management consulting, ultimately running BCG Canada and heading up the BCG global Operations practice area. In 2011 he left consulting to pursue private investing and made multiple investments in the Healthcare space including EHN Canada, MindBeacon, Healthy Interactions and MedCurrent Corporation.

Joe is an avid triathlete, having competed three full distance Ironman events after he turned 50. He continues to swim, cycle and run today, although more for fun than competition. Joe’s family came to Canada in the early 1970’s at a time when Canada was one of the countries with the brightest future and greatest economic potential in the world. The impetus for co-writing “Everybody’s Business” was to create a roadmap to help Canada achieve its full potential.

Walid Hejazi, Professor of Economic Analysis and Policy, Academic Director, Executive Programs, Rotman School of Management

Walid Hejazi is a Professor of International Business, and Economic Analysis and Policy, at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is Academic Director of Rotman Executive Programs, a Fellow of the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship, and member of the Board of Directors of the David & Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation.

His research focuses on the development of strategies that enhance the ability of companies to compete in domestic and global marketplaces. He has worked closely with many companies to develop and implement innovative strategies, with a particular focus on the role of leaders in preparing those companies to lead strategic change. He has also worked with the Canadian and foreign governments on the development of policies around foreign investment and international trade and has testified extensively before parliamentary and senate committees. He teaches Macroeconomics, Global Strategy and Leadership in Rotman’s MBA, EMBA and custom executive programs, and has also delivered lectures in over 30 countries. In addition to his academic publications, he has also published op-eds in the Globe and Mail, the Financial Post, the Toronto Star, the Hill Times, and the Conversation. He is regularly quoted in the media on a wide range of business and economic issues. Walid also introduced Canada’s first MBA course in Islamic Finance and was part of a team that wrote a landmark study for the World Bank on mobilizing global pools of capital into developing countries to help in their economic development and the alleviation of poverty.

Recognizing the enormous potential that newcomers bring to Canada, Walid works closely with them to help navigate the many challenges faced in finding employment that truly values and recognizes the skills and experience they bring. These efforts have not only enabled newcomers to achieve their true potential, but it has also enriched the Canadian economy economically, socially and culturally.

Amanda Lang, Host, Taking Stock, Bell Media

Award-winning business journalist Amanda Lang has been covering business in North America for 25 years. Lang is the host of Taking Stock, a weekly national television program airing across multiple Bell Media networks including BNN Bloomberg, CP24 and CTV News Channel. Taking Stock also airs as a weekly podcast and on the iHeart radio network. She was previously host of Bloomberg Markets, a global program airing in Canada on BNN Bloomberg and on the Bloomberg Television network globally. Prior to that, Lang was CBC’s senior business correspondent, reporting for its flagship nightly news program, The National, and host of The Exchange with Amanda Lang, a daily business program airing on CBC News Network. For five years before that Lang hosted The Lang and O’Leary Exchange, with Kevin O’Leary. And prior to that the pair co-hosted SqueezePlay, on BNN, for 6 years.

Lang studied Architecture at the University of Manitoba, before becoming a journalist. Her first job in journalism was for the Globe and Mail, and subsequently Lang joined the Financial Post newspaper, where she became the paper’s New York correspondent. In New York she made the leap to television, where she first was part of the team that launched BNN and before long wound up at CNN as a reporter and anchor.

Lang is a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Lang is chair of the board of directors of Covenant House Toronto, the largest agency in Canada serving homeless and at-risk youth.

Lang is also a best-selling author. “The Power of Why,” (HarperCollins, October 2012) explores the connection between curiosity and success. “The Beauty of Discomfort” (HarperCollins, April 2017) examines how difficult change can be, and set out strategies for how to achieve it.

Event Logistics:

This event is available to attend in-person or virtually via livestream.

Rotman Events is committed to accessibility for all people. If you have any access needs or if there are any ways we can support your full participation in this session, please email Mandi Gosling [events@rotman.utoronto.ca] no later than 2 weeks in advance of the event and we will be glad to work with you to make the appropriate arrangements.

General Admission: In-Person Ticket Details

• The event will be hosted in Desautels Hall at the Rotman School of Management (105 St. George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3E6). Your registration fee includes a seat at the session, the reception, access to a video replay of the session for 30 days and you will receive a signed hardcover copy of the book when you arrive.

General Admission: Livestream Ticket Details

• Rotman Events will email registrants a link to the livestream. Your registration fee includes access to the livestream, video replay for 30 days, a hardcover copy of the book and shipping fees. The book will be shipped to registrants after the event. Please allow 3 - 4 weeks for delivery.

30-day Catch-up Viewing

• Unable to attend the event due to scheduling conflicts? Not to worry. All registrants (in-person or livestream) can access the full recording on-demand for one month after the live event.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

• Refunds will only be issued for cancellations received in writing NO LATER than 24 hours prior to the event. Please email events@rotman.utoronto.ca for processing.

• In-person registrants who do not pick up their book at the event will have 5 business days to request postal delivery by emailing us at events@rotman.utoronto.ca. All unclaimed books will be returned to the publisher after that time.

Questions: events@rotman.utoronto.ca, Megan Murphy