The Empire Club of Canada
Hybrid
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
The world has changed – as Ontario continues to navigate a period of global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, it is more important than ever to unleash our economy and continue to make Ontario the most competitive place in the G7 to invest, create jobs, and do business.
On March 10, 2026, join The Empire Club of Canada in hosting The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario’s Minister of Finance for The Ontario Finance Minister’s Annual Pre-Budget Address in anticipation of the 2026 provincial Budget. Following the speech, the conversation will be moderated by David Herle, Co-founder, Air Quotes Media, Host of the Curse of Politics and The Herle Burly podcasts and Partner, Rubicon Strategy.
Long regarded as a cornerstone event for policymakers, business leaders, and observers of provincial economic policy, this year’s pre‑budget speech will offer an early look at how the government intends to strengthen Ontario’s economic resilience while positioning the province to compete and grow amid shifting trade rules, supply chains, and investment flows.
Peter Bethlenfalvy is Ontario’s Minister of Finance. He was elected as MPP for Pickering—Uxbridge in 2018 and was re-elected in both 2022 and 2025.
As Minister of Finance, he is responsible for the management of the province’s finances and building the environment for Ontario’s long-term economic prosperity. Through four provincial budgets and four fall economic updates, Minister Bethlenfalvy continues to deliver on the government’s plan to build a strong Ontario that supports people and businesses today, while laying a strong fiscal foundation for future generations. Having secured two major credit rating upgrades and a positive outlook in 2024 alone, he has reversed a decades-long trend of downgrades under previous governments and strengthened the province’s fiscal standing in the face of economic uncertainty. With Premier Ford, he is working to Protect Ontario from the impact of U.S. tariffs by supporting workers, families, businesses and communities while strengthening the economy for long-term growth.
Prior to entering public service, Minister Bethlenfalvy served in senior leadership roles for several financial institutions including as President and Chief Operating Officer of TD Securities (USA) and Co-President of DBRS.
He has served on the Board of Directors for many charitable organizations. In 2014, he joined the True Patriot Love Expedition to the magnetic North Pole in support of Canadian military families.
He holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from McGill University which included a year at the HEC School of Management, Paris, and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
David Herle has been around Liberal politics for a long time, starting as a kid in Saskatchewan organizing ridings for provincial leader Ralph Goodale in the early 80’s to working on campaigns with Paul Martin and Kathleen Wynne among others. He commented on politics for ten years on CBC’s The National. He is known for strategic thinking, blunt talk, lifelong passions (Liberal Party, Riders, Habs, Hawkins Cheezies, Lemon Hart rum, and black licorice), and occasionally saying something he wished he could take back.
