2012 Summit Keynote Speakers

Gary Doer, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.

In October, 2009, Gary Doer assumed his responsibilities as Canada’s 23^rd representative to the United States of America.

 Prior to taking up his current position in Washington, Ambassador Doer served as Premier of Manitoba for ten years. During that time, he worked extensively with U.S. Governors to enhance Canada-U.S. cooperation on trade, agriculture, water protection, climate change and renewable energy.

Ambassador Doer won three consecutive elections as Premier of Manitoba with successive increased majorities. In 2005, he was named by Business Week magazine as one of the top 20 international leaders on climate change. His government introduced balanced budgets during each of his ten years in office while reducing many taxes, including a plan to eliminate small business tax. As Premier, he led strategic investments in health care, education, and training and infrastructure.

Ambassador Doer hails from Winnipeg. He is married with two daughters.

Premier Brad Wall, Saskatchewan

President of Executive Council
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
MLA for Swift Current

Brad Wall was first elected Premier of Saskatchewan in the November 2007 provincial election.  His government was re-elected in the 2011 provincial election with 64 per cent of the popular vote – the highest percentage of any political party in Saskatchewan history. 

Premier Wall’s government can point to a remarkable list of achievements, including: 

           - Tabling four consecutive balanced budgets;
           - The largest tax cuts in the history of Saskatchewan;
           - Cutting the province's debt by 44 per cent;
           - Saskatchewan receiving a AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, the highest level possible for the first time in the province’s history;
           - More support for people with disabilities, those suffering from diabetes and being the first province in Canada to fund clinical trials for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Liberation Treatment;
           - Saskatchewan’s population hitting an all-time high of more than one million people;
           - The most aggressive youth retention program in the country to ensure Saskatchewan’s young people stay and work in the province; and
           - Record infrastructure spending to improve roads, schools and senior's facilities all across Saskatchewan and providing more affordable housing for those with lower incomes.

Prior to his career in politics, Premier Wall was active in his local business community and was involved in service work spanning local events, economic development and health care recruitment. One of his earliest forays into politics was in the late 1980's as a founding member and western co-chair of the Alliance for the Future of Young Canadians. This was an organization dedicated to promoting free trade.

Brad Wall was born and raised in Swift Current, which is in Saskatchewan’s southwest.  He still lives there with his wife, Tami, as well as two of their three children: Colter and Faith. Their daughter Megan is enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan.  He received his post secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan where he earned an Honours degree in Public Administration.

Since his election in the fall of 2007, Brad Wall has garnered significant positive attention on the provincial and national media scene.  In fact, Chantal Hébert from the Toronto Star named Brad Wall Canada’s most underrated politician in 2011 and CTV’s Don Martin named him the 2011 Politician of the Year.

Ezra Levant, TV Host of The Source, on the Sun News Network

Ezra Levant is a TV anchor, newspaper columnist, and author. After graduating from law school, he went to Ottawa as a parliamentary assistant to Preston Manning. It was to be the first of many romantic but doomed political campaigns. Levant joined the editorial board of The National Post newspaper, shortly after its founding. His beat included national politics, the Supreme Court and the Middle East. 

In 2004, Levant became the founding publisher of the Western Standard magazine, the only Canadian media outlet to publish the Danish cartoons of Mohammed. That led to two charges of “hate speech” before the Alberta government’s human rights commission. Levant wrote a book about the experience, called Shakedown, which exposed the illiberal nature of Canadian human rights commissions. His new book called, Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada’s Oilsands, was published in September 2010 and won the National Business Book Award in Spring 2011.

To the relief of his wife, Levant finally got a real job this spring, when he joined the new Sun TV all-news channel as the host of a daily talk show called The Source.

Hon. Pamela Wallin, Senate of Canada

The Honourable Pamela Wallin, O.C., S.O.M. was appointed to the Senate of Canada on December 22, 2008. She is Chair of the Senate's National Security & Defense Committee, serves on both the Veterans Affairs subcommittee and the Special Committee on Anti-terrorism and she is also a member of the Senate's Foreign Affairs & International Trade Committee.

She is an Honourary Colonel of the Air Force, appointed August 1, 2009. Senator Wallin serves on several corporate boards, including Gluskin Sheff & Associates and Porter Airlines, and is a member of the BMO Harris Bank Advisory Council. Pamela is the Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Guelph, a post she assumed in 2007.

Following the events of 9/11 Pamela served as Canada's Consul General in New York from 2002-2006. She continues to serve as the Senior Advisor on Canada-US relations at the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas in New York and Washington. At the request of Prime Minister Harper, she served on the special Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan in 2007 - 2008. She also recently served on the special Advisory Panel on the Creation of a Democracy Promotion Agency.

Pamela is an Officer of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour. She has fourteen Honorary Doctorates and among many other honors, she has been named to the Canadian Broadcasting Hall of Fame; she received a national Visionary Award in Canada; and was twice recognized by Queen Elizabeth II for her public service and achievements. She is the author of three books, including her bestselling autobiography Since You Asked (1998), Speaking of Success (2001), and The Comfort of Cats (2002).

The wide-ranging career of the journalist, diplomat, entrepreneur and now a Senator has spanned more than thirty years, several continents, but with a focus always on politics and foreign policy. From CBC radio to the Ottawa bureau of the Toronto Star to CTV where she hosted Canada AM, she went on to become the Ottawa bureau chief, and anchor of the CTV weekend news. And in 1992, she became the first Canadian woman to co-anchor the nightly national television newscast Prime Time News. In 1995, Pamela founded an independent television company, Pamela Wallin Productions, through which she hosted and produced several highly successful nightly interview programs. Her media background has proved invaluable in her subsequent public service.

Dr. Brenda Kenny, President of Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA)

Dr. Brenda Kenny is President and CEO of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) where she works with industry partners to develop industry positions and advocacy related to a wide range of issues including safety, climate change, regulatory efficiency and financial competitiveness. Brenda has extensive experience in energy regulation, sustainable development and strategy. Prior to joining CEPA, she spent a number of years with the National Energy Board where she provided executive leadership in policy, regulatory reviews and finance.

Brenda is an adjunct professor in the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, and a part time Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE). She also serves on the Boards of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and WaterSMART, she is a special advisor to the Energy Sector Team of Enterprise Saskatchewan and has been active in a variety of community groups including Sustainable Calgary and imagineCALGARY. In 2009 she was appointed to the Board of the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC), an Alberta independent not-for- profit organization that will invest in projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Brenda holds a Doctorate in Resources and the Environment, a Masters of Mechanical Engineering, and a Bachelors of Applied Science.

John Hofmeister, Author of “Why We Hate Oil Companies”

Former President Shell Oil Company Houston, Texas. John Hofmeister, upon retirement from Shell Oil Company in July, 2008, founded and heads the not-for-profit (501(c)(3) pending), nation-wide membership association, Citizens for Affordable Energy. This Washington, D.C.-registered, public policy education firm will exist to promote sound U.S. energy security solutions for the nation, including a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improvements, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policies and public education on energy issues.

Hofmeister was named President of Houston-based Shell Oil Company in March 2005, heading the U.S. Country Leadership Team, which included the leaders of all Shell businesses operating in the United States. He became President after serving as Group Human Resource Director of the Shell Group, based in The Hague, The Netherlands.

As Shell President, Hofmeister launched an extensive outreach program, unprecedented in the energy industry, to discuss critical global energy challenges. The program included an 18 month, 50-city tour across the country during which Hofmeister led 250 other Shell leaders to meet with more than 15,000 business, community and civic leaders, policymakers, and academics to discuss what must be done to ensure affordable, available energy for the future. A business leader who has participated in the inner workings of multiple industries for over 35 years, Hofmeister also has held key leadership positions in General Electric, Nortel and AlliedSignal (now Honeywell International).

Hofmeister serves as the Chairman of the National Urban League and is a member of the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee, and the Sodexo Business Advisory Board. He also serves on the boards of the Foreign Policy Association, Strategic Partners, LLC, the Gas Technology Institute and the Center for Houston's Future. Hofmeister is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. He also is a past Chairman and serves as a Director of the Greater Houston Partnership. Hofmeister earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Political Science from Kansas State University.