PWC Melbourne was the setting for a lunch hosted last month by the CACC in honour of the Canadian High Commissioner, Paul Maddison, and the new Canadian Consul General to Sydney, Angela Bogdan.

The 55 guests came from various backgrounds including the financial services sector, technology and professional services. A number of start-ups were also represented.

Mike McGrath, Managing Partner and CMO with PWC, welcomed Mr. Maddison and Ms. Bogdan.

High Commissioner Paul Maddison spoke about the role that our trade commissioners play in identifying bilateral trade opportunities, introducing potential partners, and being enablers to their successes, all with the view of increasing Canada’s economic prosperity. He described the locally engaged trade commissioners as experts across their sectors who have developed deep networks that are available for Canadian businesses and investors to tap into.

Mr. Maddison also spoke broadly about shared Canadian and Australian national interests and values, and suggested that “the world needs more Canada and Australia, especially in terms of positively shaping the global narrative.”

Ms Bogdan spoke about the connections and shared history between Canada and Australia, trade and investment issues, the initiatives the Trudeau Government is currently undertaking in Canada as well as what Donald Trump’s surprise election win in the United States might mean for both countries.

Both speakers touched on the importance of networks such as the CACC in ensuring communication flows that were dynamic, so that opportunities would not be missed, but seized upon.

The lunch also served as an opportunity for the CACC to further engage the business community in Melbourne and for guests to learn more about the chamber’s mission to promote stronger business ties between Canada and Australia. Brian Hansen gave a brief account of the chamber’s goals and objectives, and highlighted the new SME membership initiative the CACC started in late 2016 to help SMEs owners wishing to set up shop in either Canada or Australia.

Mr. Hansen also noted the chamber is currently looking to expand its presence in Melbourne but emphasised that this would only succeed if people were prepared to become involved and assist with activities. Anyone interested in being part of this Melbourne development should contact Melissa Wharton at melissa@cacc.com.au.

The inaugural CACC SME Roundtable hosted by Google kicked off on 17th November discussing how SMEs can benefit from digital marketing. CACC Director, Doug Carmichael and Google's Managing Director of Asia, SMB, Kevin O'Kane opened the discussion with various presenters from Google and the CACC SME Committee.

This is the first of what we hope will be numerous networking opportunities for SMEs interested in CACC’s mandate of encouraging trade between our two countries. This exciting roundtable is for SME Members Only so please visit our website, become an SME member and take advantage of our special discount membership offering for our first year.

For more information email admin@cacc.com.au

(Pictured: CACC President, Brian Hansen & Consul and Sr. Trade Commissioner, Marc-André Hawkes)

The CACC launched its small and medium enterprise (SME) initiative at the Consulate General of Canada last week, at the reception to welcome the consulate’s new Consul General to Sydney.

The SME program is aimed at growth-focused entrepreneurs who see opportunities for their businesses in both Australia and Canada.

Chamber President Brian Hansen thanked Ross Campbell, Chair of the SME committee, who had spearheaded the development of the SME program over the past 18 months, and Marc-André Hawkes, Senior Trade Commissioner and his staff at the consulate, for assisting with the program and moving it ahead.

SME committee member Michael Bacina spoke on behalf of Mr Campbell, who was overseas, noting they had started accepting memberships to the program a few weeks ago. 

The Committee is focused on providing networking opportunities for SME members through events and key topic roundtables. It will help members find solutions to the challenges they face in growing their business in a new country, explore different ways to facilitate dialogue amongst SME members, and find mentorship opportunities for members.

“The SME initiative will evolve its offering to best reflect the wishes of its members,” said Mr Hansen.

“CACC was not like its UK, French or Israeli counterparts who were much larger and better resourced,” he added.

“The Chamber survived largely thanks to the generosity of large Australian and Canadian corporates. To go further and expand its mandate; however, it needed to reach out to SMEs, a previously untapped market.”

Mr Bacina added it was key to expand the Chamber’s influence with the SME community in Australia who “are involved in Canada, who have a connection to Canada, or aspire to do business in Canada and he was honoured to be on that journey.”

Mr Hansen thanked all the sponsors for their support of the CACC, including new sponsor, Bank of Nova Scotia which was represented by Scott Jindrich and Jay Hipolito.

CACC President Brian Hansen expressed a warm welcome to Angela Bogdan, the new Canadian Consul General to Sydney, at a cocktail reception held last week at the consulate’s offices in the Rocks.

In his remarks, Mr Hansen noted that Canada’s former Chief of Protocol, was not the first protocol chief to take on this job: Ms Bogdan’s good friend, Rick Kohler, had pipped her to the post a few years before.

He said the CACC’s relationship with the Consulate General of Canada was important and there were many things they would work on together once Ms Bogdan had settled into the role.

More than 70 business leaders, CACC members, consulate staff and government representatives attended the meet and greet with Ms Bogdan, a career diplomat who first joined Foreign Affairs Canada in 1984.

Most recently, Ms Bogdan was Canada’s Chief of Protocol and Champion for Women based at Foreign Affairs and international Trade Canada in Ottawa.

She has also worked as High Commissioner in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and was Ambassador to the Former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Belgrade. She has worked in postings around Europe, including a NATO delegation, and various director roles in Ottawa during her 32-year career.

As Chief of Protocol, she worked with former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and more recently with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the organisation of state visits before taking up her new post in Sydney.

Ms Bogdan expressed gratitude to the “terrific and dynamic” team of consulate staff who were helping her to settle into her new role.

“It was like coming home, coming to work in Australia”, she said, explaining how she had married an Australian, had started her career in Melbourne, and her children were Australian.

She said while “it took 32 hours by plane to come to Australia, it was like visiting your cousin and we could make that work for us” and she hoped to bring Rick Kohler’s energy to her new role.

As Canada’s Chief of Protocol, Ms Bogdan had learned to be “flexible, to solve problems, to anticipate them before they happen” and joked she had also learned “to step out of the way of the picture very quickly.”

She talked about the composition of the current Canadian government, saying “this new PM and government didn’t just happen: a lot of really intelligent people had rebuilt the party over a period of time, going out to recruit and select some of the best and brightest Canadians to serve.”

She said the Canadian government was “working to regain Canada’s place in the world as well as focusing on bigger infrastructure to create wealth and growth.”

She talked about how the Trudeau government “was religious about living up to its promises, including the plan to get 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada quickly and safely, and how an inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women was building a spirit of reconciliation as Canada’s 150^th birthday approached.”

She urged Australian businesses looking to get a foothold in Canada or take their business to the next level to read the government’s party platform and mandate papers as they were being followed religiously, and to think about how Canadian companies might take advantage of Australian free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region through their location in Australia.

She praised the CACC’s new SME enterprise, saying it parallels the work of the Canadian government, noting there was a recent delegation of 50 government leaders to successful SMEs led by women. “It’s not just about SMEs, you need to think about SMEs run by successful women entrepreneurs,” she said.

Frank Sinatra’s ‘Come Fly with Me’ could have been the theme song at the latest Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce breakfast on 7 June at Sydney’s Doltone House in the city.

A crowd of over 70 business and government professionals turned out to celebrate the recent launch of the redesigned Boeing 777 aircraft on Air Canada’s daily flights from Sydney to Vancouver. They also learned about the new flights between Brisbane and Vancouver on Air Canada’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and the latest infrastructure projects at Sydney Airport.

Duncan Bureau, Vice-President of Global Sales, said Air Canada is investing heavily in new planes and will have one of the youngest fleets in the skies by 2020, when it will also be the eighth largest airline in the world. They are also refurbishing 18 planes in their Boeing 777 fleet, including the one that services Vancouver-bound travellers from Sydney.

With screen shots of a refurbished Boeing 777 playing behind him, Bureau described how the daily direct service flight between Sydney and Vancouver now features an upgraded international business class service that is the same as that offered on the carrier’s flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.

The front end of the plane now has 40 executive pods arranged so that every passenger has direct access to the aisle. Business class passengers can enjoy a state-of-the art entertainment screen with hundreds of hours of top-rated entertainment and noise-cancelling headsets, headrest with head and neck massage/lumbar support and massage function, gourmet cuisine and fine wines, a plush duvet and pillow, complimentary skin care products and ambient lighting among other features.

There is also a new premium economy service on the route featuring 24 seats with greater recline and a larger seat (compared to economy class) plus premium cuisine, complimentary wine and spirits, USB ports for charging and a next generation entertainment system.

Kerrie Mather, CEO and Managing Director of Sydney Airport, praised the strong relationship between Air Canada and the airport, noting the Vancouver-Sydney route had been running for almost 16 years. She remarked that Canada was one of Sydney’s largest and fastest growing markets, with over 110,000 Australians visiting Canada in 2015.

She also discussed the ‘economic engine’ that is Sydney Airport. Over 40 million passengers a year pass through its terminals, connecting on to more than 90 international, domestic and regional destinations. “The airport contributes $30.8 billion in economic activity a year, equivalent to 6.4 per cent of the NSW economy. A major employer for the state, Sydney Airport generates more than 300,000 jobs in NSW with 29,000 jobs at the airport itself,” she said.

The airport is currently undergoing more improvement projects than at any time since the 2000 Olympics. More than 150 projects and $1.3 billion will be spent on services and facilities over the next five years to improve the customer experience.

The latest phase of the improvements program in T1, the international terminal, includes enhancements to gate lounges, immigration and security areas, new navigational signage, and upgraded food and beverage areas with a Marketplace teeming with street food style fare and a City View precinct premium dining hub featuring a variety of restaurants.

Retail is being revamped with the arrival of several prestige brands like Kate Spade, Tiffany & Co. and Hugo Boss. A new airport hotel is due to open in 2017 and there is also a five-year, $500 million road investment program being undertaken with the NSW Government to improve roadways around the airport to decrease traffic congestion. 

Mather said staff and partners were aiming for a seamless, world-class airport experience for everyone coming, visiting or leaving Sydney Airport.

Robert McDougall, Acting Consul-General for Canada, spoke about how the “growing aerial connection between Canada and Australia reinforces and builds on a long-running and wide-ranging economic relationship based on a shared past and common set of values.”

He reported that bilateral commerce is strong and growing rapidly, driven mainly by strong two-way investment and a growing services exchange.

Air Canada’s flights from Sydney and Brisbane will particularly support the growing trade in services between the two nations, he said. In 2014, Canadian services exports to Australia totaled roughly A$1.6 billion, an almost 5 per cent increase compared to 2013.

During the same year, Australian services exports to Canada amounted to A$965 million, up by 2.6 per cent year over year. Australia is Canada’s eighth largest services export partner.

McDougall said Canadian companies, across many sectors, were flourishing in NSW and many Australian companies were doing well in Canada. Despite the recent resources downturn, there are still strong connections between Queensland and Canada. He also highlighted the growing links between Canadian and Australian universities and several partnerships that are underway.

He congratulated Air Canada for its continued expansion into Australia and for offering new and improved services. “This move should yield major benefits not only to the company and its passengers of all nationalities, but also to the important relationship between our two prosperous and go-ahead economies.”

Brisbane is the second Australian destination for Air Canada. The Brisbane-Vancouver service is the first direct flight between Queensland and Canada. Currently three flights a week, it will go daily later this month.

Responding to a question from the audience, Bureau noted the Dreamliner would be able to carry more freight than the Boeing 767, an area of business that Air Canada wanted to grow in Australia.

“Air Canada staff take pride in flying the Air Canada logo and maple leaf brand – it was not something to be taken lightly,” said Bureau. He also said when people see an Air Canada plane they feel like they are ‘home’, which is a sentiment the airline was encouraging.

Air Canada’s services from Australia are timed to optimise connectivity to and from the airline’s North American network, which includes direct services to 64 Canadian cities and 52 destinations in the United States. 

Under a previous brand name, Air Canada has been operating in the Australian market since 1949. Air Canada itself was the first airline to offer a daily, non-stop service between Canada and Australia, beginning in 2007, with a same plane, one-stop service from Toronto to Sydney and non-stop service from Vancouver to Sydney. 

CACC members: get your skates on to get a ticket for this event!

The man affectionately known as ‘the greatest hockey player of all time’ is heading to Sydney in late June as the guest of honour at a gala luncheon presented by CACC’s corporate sponsors, Hungry Jack’s and Air Canada, and Scotiabank, Zonte’s Footstep and R4M.

The lunch, taking place on Sunday, 26 June at Doltone House, Darling Island Wharf, will also feature players participating in the newly named Wayne Gretzky Ice Hockey Classic, the popular five-city annual hockey tour.

Ticket price includes a three-course lunch, premium wines, a player/host presentation, Q and A with Gretzky, auctions, viewings of NHL and tour memorabilia and prizes. Proceeds from the lunch and auction go to help StopConcussions, Brain Injury Australia and Ice Hockey Australia.

Several packages are available. Head HERE to buy tickets. For more information, ring 0474 145 469 or email: Cytelle@29sports.com

Can’t make the lunch? You can also see Gretzky at the Ice Hockey Classic event in Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday 25 June where he’s the event’s official ambassador. Get tickets here. 

Nicknamed ‘The Great One’, Gretzky played 21 seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979-1999. He amassed almost 900 goals during his career and is an International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame player.

Australia’s High Commissioner finds renewed optimism in Canada

Tony Negus, Australia’s High Commissioner to Canada, was in Canberra in April to attend several high level meetings on the Canadian-Australian relationship, but found time in his packed schedule to make a quick visit to Sydney where he addressed 25 members of the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC).

At a lunch held at Thomson Geer, a CACC corporate sponsor, Mr Negus briefed the audience on the current business climate in Canada and showcased the warm relationship Australia and Canada have long enjoyed, noting the countries had much in common and were open to business and working together.

In a wide ranging speech which touched on everything from bilateral trade and investment to coping with snow, Mr Negus said he had observed increased optimism in Canada under the new Trudeau government and a ‘lifted sense of place in the world’ with the country renewing its commitment to multilateral institutions like the United Nations, its much-lauded peace keeping role, and its reputation as a problem solver and honest broker in the political spectrum.

Mr Negus said Canadian and Australian relations remained strong at the highest level with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnball and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau having quickly forged a good relationship whilst engaging at the G20 Summit, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and other recent gatherings on the world stage.

He felt the Australian Government would be interested to watch the progress of the Trudeau Government  in Indigenous Affairs after its recent announcement to invest $8 billion over five years in projects to improve the lives of its First Nations people, who share similar challenges to the Indigenous populations in Australia.

Mr Negus also said Canada and Australia share a common purpose as members of the coalition determined to defeat the terrorist group ISIL.  

On a festive note, Mr Negus hoped that, whatever the outcome of the upcoming Australian Federal election, the Australian Prime Minister or Governor General might attend the celebrations for Canada’s 150^th birthday in 2017 in Ottawa.

Helping each other’s citizens abroad

Mr Negus said relations between the countries’ two foreign affairs bureaus were amongst the strongest in the world. “Many Australians and Canadians are unaware that our governments have a policy of providing assistance to each other’s citizens abroad for emergencies in countries where one country or the other does not have an embassy,” he said.

He observed that though Canada and Australia were not ‘natural trading partners’ as they trade in similar resources, nevertheless there was a significant amount of investment –between us, with Canada investing $35 billion in Australia and Australia investing $45 billion in Canada in the last year.

He noted the lower Canadian dollar has resulted in an upturn in manufacturing and increased exports, but investment in mining and energy is decreasing.  Domestic consumption remains flat, with analysts stating that people are afraid to spend due to uncertainty about the economy.

Mr Negus also discussed how Canada was trying to branch out from its dependency on natural resources to being a smart, clean and green tech-focused country for the 21^st century.

He briefed the audience on Prime Minister Trudeau’s election promise and recent budget announcement to run a deficit budget of $10 billion a year over four years (now increased to $30 billion) and balancing it after that. The government will focus on environment, public transit and affordable housing, issues that are of interest to the Australian Government as well.

Mr Negus took questions from the audience on a variety of topics ranging from security to investment. 

The former Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mr Negus stepped down in September 2014 after five years in the role, and took up his duties as High Commissioner to Canada in January 2015.

At the lunch, he was introduced by Chamber President Brian Hansen who acted as MC for the event. In his remarks, Mr Hansen thanked Thomson Geer partner, John Howard and Rhonda Pigott, Director of the NSW State Office for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, for organising the briefing.    

More than a few Queensland-based CACC members faced off in good-natured fashion over a beer and finger food at a recent reception hosted by the chamber at a Brisbane ice rink.

They were feted at Iceworld Bondall in mid-May as a warm-up to the start of a two-game ‘Brisbane Battle’ between the Melbourne Ice and Sydney Bears, organised by the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).

Garnet Radford, CACC’s Queensland Chair, was “impressed by the 600-strong crowd and the enthusiasm shown by the 25 CACC members who attended the reception.”

An avid hockey fan himself, Garnet had co-founded a local team, the Blue Tongues, which represented Queensland and played from 2004-12 in the AIHL. He was delighted the AIHL had organised a series in the sunshine state after a hiatus of four years, noting the league has many talented Australian and overseas players, with some being drafted into the NHL.

“It was great to see so many familiar faces from the Blue Tongues’ days,” he reminisced.            

The members came from a variety of organisations including Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Air Canada, Golder & Associates, Logan Office of Economic Development, QADO and Balance Advisory.

Erin Burchill, Managing Director of online retailer O Canada, which specialises in Canadiana, said the reception was a great opportunity to network with business connections in a ‘familiar’ rink setting and then watch some excellent hockey.

“I had valuable conversations with a few local businesspeople, which I’m confident will lead to partnerships in the future, and I was pleased with the quality of the attendees. My guest had never watched a hockey game before, and neither had a few of the other attendees, so it was a unique setting for the non-Canadians amongst the group,” she said.

“During the game, we enjoyed rinkside hospitality where we could continue the conversations that we had initiated prior to the game. All in all, a fantastic afternoon and it would be a setting that I would seriously consider for future business engagements, for both Canadian and non-Canadian clients and guests,” she added.

In the AIHL’s first game in Brisbane, since 2012 and at Boondall since 2007, the teams were greeted with a sell-out crowd and a cheering atmosphere, making for an absorbing contest.

In the first game, the Melbourne Ice came away 3-2 winners in a shootout against the Sydney Bears. The Ice then went on to sweep the Brisbane Battle weekend with a 3-1 win over the Bears at Iceworld Acacia Ridge the following evening.

O Canada was a sponsor for the Brisbane Battle series and Erin gave a Player of the Match award to the Melbourne Ice's goalie, Troy Davenport, after the Saturday game.

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