The Empire Club of Canada
Monday, June 19, 2023
The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford: Building Ontario
Ontario’s economy and population are growing.
Whether it’s the all-seasons roads needed to unlock the full potential of the Ring of Fire, the new and expanded highways that will cut gridlock and bring goods to market sooner, or homes, hospitals and public transit for livable and vibrant communities, untapping the promise of a growing Ontario means that it has never been more important to build.Join us for an insightful discussion with Premier Doug Ford about the government’s ambitious plan to build Ontario and how he’ll continue to cut through red tape to deliver the infrastructure our growing province needs.
*The content presented is free of charge but please note that the Empire Club of Canada retains copyright. Neither the speeches themselves nor any part of their content may be used for any purpose other than personal interest or research without the explicit permission of the Empire Club of Canada.*
*Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the speakers or panelists are those of the speakers or panelists and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official views and opinions, policy or position held by The Empire Club of Canada.*
Premier Doug Ford is a builder.
As a businessman, he built a successful company.
As a Toronto city councillor, he championed building subways and kept costs down for families.
As premier of Ontario, he is building roads, highways and transit for a growing province. He’s building a stronger economy with 660,000 more jobs and is attracting game-changing investments to build electric vehicles and batteries right here in Ontario.
Premier Ford is passionate about the Etobicoke neighbourhood where he grew up. He is a dedicated husband to Karla and a proud father of four daughters.
Flavio Volpe is an internationally recognized champion of Canada’s automotive industry. Since 2014, he has proudly led the APMA, representing 200+ suppliers to the worldwide automotive industry.
Working closely with officials in Ottawa, Washington & Mexico City during the 2017-19 NAFTA renegotiations, he led the effort to secure an unprecedented increase in Regional Content for suppliers in the new USMCA. In 2022, he was named to the Ontario Premier’s Council on US Trade & Competitiveness.
When the global COVID19 pandemic created a dangerous medical equipment shortage in Canada in 2020, he launched one of the biggest peacetime mobilizations of the country’s industrial capacity in its history. Dubbed a ‘Manufacturing Hero’ by the Toronto Star for his leadership, this work resulted in the largest build-orders of critical ventilators, PPE & test swabs in Canada’s history.
In 2022, when anti-government actors illegally blockaded the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor costing the industry $1B, he led the APMA to secure an injunction in Ontario Superior Court to force the reopening of Canada’s most critical international border crossing.
A passionate technology leader, his response to the Prime Minister’s challenge for a net-zero economy by 2050 was to launch an all-Canadian, zero-emissions, autonomous concept prototype, Project Arrow. Described by the Globe and Mail as ‘an audacious play to build an all-Canadian electric car’, Project Arrow was revealed at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to global coverage & serves as a premier showcase of Canada’s automotive technology cluster.
Flavio is a sought-after voice by leading global publications including The Economist, New York Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, CNBC, FOX & the Washington Post. He speaks frequently on industry issues at House of Commons Standing Committees in Finance, Industry and Trade.