Canadian businesses and industries are navigating the impacts of the U.S. trade war, slow productivity growth and a weakening global economy. What approaches and risk management strategies will help support growth in 2026 against this shifting backdrop?
Please join Report on Business magazine on December 1 for the second annual Economic Outlook event. This exclusive forum will bring together economic and industry leaders, institutional investors, policy experts and Globe and Mail journalists to discuss indicators and tactics for the year ahead.
2025 marked a turning point for Canada’s economic trajectory, with new federal leadership, renewed national unity and interprovincial cooperation. Yet significant risks threaten Canada's outlook. What policies and strategies will create better conditions for business growth and long-term prosperity?
Desjardins Group is the largest cooperative financial group in North America and the sixth largest in the world, with assets of $501.3 billion as at June 30, 2025. It has been named one of the top employers in Canada by both Forbes magazine and Mediacorp. It has also been recognized as one of the World’s Best Banks 2025 by Forbes. The organization has more than 57,200 skilled employees. To meet the diverse needs of its members and clients, Desjardins offers a full range of products and services to individuals and businesses through its extensive distribution network, its online platforms, and its subsidiaries across Canada. Ranked among the world’s strongest banks according to The Banker magazine, Desjardins has one of the highest capital ratios and one of the highest credit ratings in the industry. In 2025, Desjardins Group is celebrating its 125th anniversary, marking more than a century of focusing its ambitions and expertise on being there for members and clients.
Interac empowers Canadians to transact digitally with confidence by providing payment and value exchange services. In helping to develop the future of money movement in Canada, security is at the core of everything we do. We help keep Canadian customers safe and secure when transacting. With nearly 300 financial institutions connected to our network, Canadians choose Interac products over 20 million times a day on average to exchange money. Interac champions workplace culture, community, and corporate citizenship. We are proud to be one of Canada’s leading and most trusted financial brands.
Peoples Group is a trusted financial institution for the innovators at the forefront of Canada’s economic future. We’re not the face of change but the substantial power behind it, proudly working alongside challenger banks, fintechs, brokers and merchants while fostering a more dynamic and competitive financial ecosystem. Our exceptional service and regulatory guidance across Deposits, Lending and Payments empowers our clients to bring unique visions to life that benefit more Canadians. Established in 1985, Peoples Group is a made-in-Canada financial institution with a culture defined by integrity that lets us be true to our name – because we put people above all.
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Ron joined ArcelorMittal on July 1, 2021, as Vice President of ArcelorMittal, holding the position of President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Dofasco. He is currently the Chairman of the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA).
Ron started his career at Stelco Lake Erie Works where he held various positions, including General Manager, Primary Operations at U.S. Steel Hilton Works. In 2008, he joined Lakeside Steel and served as the President and Chief Executive Officer until 2012. In 2013, Ron joined Paragon Industries, a company that specializes in casing production for the energy industry where he served as Chief Operating Officer. Most recently, Ron served as Executive Vice President, Manufacturing at Samuel, Son & Co. a Canadian, multinational company specializing in metal processing, distribution and industrial products.
Denise is an author, applied researcher, and advisor whose research and thought leadership spans interdisciplinary fields, including: institutional design and strategy, antitrust and competition policy, macroeconomics and financial markets, sustainable investment, and new economic thinking. She is currently a Fellow at the Berggruen Institute and a Senior Fellow at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, a center of Columbia University’s Climate School.
Denise is co-author of The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition — named a Financial Times Best Book of 2018 — and The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians (McGill, 2024). Her writing has translated into 12 languages and featured in The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Fortune, The Globe and Mail, The Washington Post, and more.
Jimmy Jean is Vice-President, Chief Economist and Strategist at Desjardins Group. He leads a team of researchers, analysts and forecasters that has been named Best Overall Forecaster – Canada by FocusEconomics on numerous occasions. His keen insights and clear communication style make him a sought-after speaker and a regular guest on financial news programs in Canada’s English and French media markets.
Jimmy has been with Desjardins Group for most of his career, but has also served as senior strategist at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and as an economist at Moody's, RBC Capital Markets and Statistics Canada. He has a master’s degree in applied financial economics from HEC Montréal and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Matt Lundy is The Globe and Mail's economics editor. As a reporter, Matt covered some of the biggest economic news from 2019 to 2024: the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, four-decade-high inflation and breakneck population growth.
An Arthur F. Burns Fellow in 2023, Matt reported from Berlin on Germany's economic stagnation, China's dominance in electric vehicles and a rags-to-riches soccer club.
Farhaz Thobani is the President of Kyndryl Canada, the largest IT infrastructure services provider in the country. For more than two decades, Farhaz has worked alongside teams that leverage deep knowledge and experience to support the mission-critical systems and transformation
goals of customers across North America.
Previously, Farhaz served as General Manager for the Manufacturing, Communications & Energy Market for Kyndryl in the United States. In that role, he was responsible for successful customer outcomes, and the overall success of the business in that market, which serves many of the largest customers in the United States. Before that, Farhaz was the Managing Director for Kyndryl in Canada, where he had responsibility for all go-to-market activities across Kyndryl’s industry and practice teams. Prior to
his time at Kyndryl, he has also held a variety of senior management, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer positions at IBM.
Farhaz received his MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto Canada. He is also the Chairman of the Board for the ISM Canada Corporation. About Kyndryl Canada Coast to coast, Kyndryl employees support organizations and the critical infrastructure that help
Canada run. From government services and financial institutions to healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation, Kyndryl helps power the systems behind the scenes that Canadians rely on. Kyndryl is a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services offering advisory, implementation and managed service capabilities to thousands of customers in more than 60 countries. As the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, the company designs, builds, manages and modernizes the complex information systems that the world depends on every day.
Kim Thiara has been instrumental in positioning AceTronic Industrial Controls Inc. as the leader in the plastics market. She has spent the last 27+ years establishing a name for herself as the best source for plastic processing products, repair and calibration, culminating in the 2008 purchase of AceTronic, a company founded by her father, Harb Mushiana in 1983.
As President and CEO of AceTronic, "getting things done" and driving results through collaboration, partnerships and relationships, is what Kim is about. She radiates an enthusiastic and sincere passion to service her clients in all facets the organization.
Since joining AceTronic in 1991, Kim has led the Company through both diverse and challenging times. Kim took over the reins from her father during a period of market volatility and persevered with the creation and launch of several new product lines. Throughout this period she demonstrated an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and growth of a mature and established operation. Under Kim’s leadership, AceTronic has achieved consistent revenue growth and built a roster of customers within North America. She served as the Toronto Chair for the Toronto Chapter of CAMM (Canadian Association of Mold Makers) for 7 years and is the newly elected Chair for the organization, effectibe May 2022. Kim is the first woman elected to this position. Canada’s mold making segment represents a $2 billion share of the Canadian economy . Kim also held a positon as Board Member with the APMA (Auto Parts Manufacturers Association). APMA is Canada’s national association representing OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies, advanced technology, and services for the worldwide automotive industry. In 2018, automotive parts shipments were over $35 Billion.
AceTronic is now moving into its 3rd generation with the addition of Kim’s 2 daughters actively involved with the business.
Jeremy Wilmot is the President and CEO of Interac Corp. Appointed to the role in August 2023, he manages all operations at Interac, one of the most trusted financial brands in Canada.
Jeremy leverages his more than 30 years of global experience to drive Interac growth and deliver shared value for its Canadian Financial Institution customers and for the millions of Canadians using its debit, money movement and verification services.
Andrew Saunders is the President and CEO of The Globe and Mail, overseeing all aspects of Canada's national newspaper, its business magazine, digital advertising network, digital platforms and events and conference lines of business. With over 20 years of experience at The Globe, he brings expertise in revenue generation and management, business transformation, change management and digitization, data analytics & consumer insights, technology implementation, branding and performance marketing, pricing optimization and more.
In his previous role as Chief Revenue Officer at The Globe, Andrew was responsible for shaping the monetization strategy and driving the business transition from print to digital across all facets of the business, including subscription revenue, licensing, advertising sales, events and conference business, data engineering & analytics, digital media/UX and consumer marketing.
Andrew is an active and highly respected figure within the media and advertising community, having served on various industry juries, including the Media Innovation Awards, Marketing Hall of Legends, and the Effie Awards. He is Chair of the Canadian Cannes Advisory Board, a member of the executive team on the IAB board of directors, a board director of the World Association of News Publishers – IFRA supervisory board, and a board member of The Canadian Press and the Advertising Standards of Canada. His voluntary activities include board membership of the United Health Network Foundation and a member of the 2024 United Way Greater Toronto Campaign Cabinet.
In his capacity as President and CEO, Andrew Saunders is dedicated to maintaining The Globe and Mail’s journalistic excellence and steering it towards innovation in the ever-evolving media landscape.
John Landry is President and CEO of Peoples Group, bringing 28 years of international financial services leadership across banking sectors in the U.S., Canada, Australasia, and Europe. Founded in 1985, Peoples Group is a trusted Canadian financial institution that works alongside challenger banks, FinTechs, brokers, and merchants to foster a more dynamic and competitive financial ecosystem.
David Moscrop is a politics columnist, commentator, and author of Too Dumb for Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions And How We Can Make Better Ones.
His work has appeared in outlets including The Globe and Mail, the Washington Post, the Walrus, Time Magazine, and the Guardian.
He holds a PhD in political science from the University of British Columbia, where he wrote on the psychology of democratic deliberation. For more than a decade, his work has focused on not just the issues and events of the day, but deeper happenings in Canadian and American politics, particularly political institutions and the ins and outs of democracy. He lives in Ottawa.