Ivey Business School Hosts Canadian Prime Minister: MBA News

EMBA students at Western University’s Ivey Business School were given the opportunity to pose questions to the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, about the country’s economic direction at a moderated discussion event held at the school’s Toronto campus on Friday.

The students were able to discuss issues that had arisen over the course of their 16-month EMBA program at Ivey Business School, such as inter-provincial trade and the growing employment skills gap in Canada according to a press release for the school.

“At Ivey, we strive to expose students to the leading decision makers as a central part of their business education”, said Ivey Business School dean, Bob Kennedy.

Before the private student discussion, members of the press were invited to a one-on-one question and answer session between Kennedy and the Canadian prime minister.

Stephen Harper keen to highlight relative stability of Canada’s economy

During the public interview, Stephen Harper was eager to point out how many other major economies would be envious of the situation Canada currently finds itself in. 

“There’s virtually no head of government who wouldn’t prefer to be in my position than the one they’re in. That’s a pretty positive measure”, said the Canadian prime minister.

Conversation here centered on the recent tentative agreement of a new trade deal with the EU and what the merits and potential downsides might be if and when it is finalized. Stephen Harper also said that while the opportunities for trade with Asian countries, such as China, India and South Korea, were plentiful – a deal akin to that with the EU would be unworkable.

“There would be no prospect of an agreement this deep and this comprehensive with one of those countries. That's just not their kind of model”, he said.

In addition, the Canadian prime minister did admit that the country’s economic position was not without its challenges. In particular, Harper said he was concerned about the debt levels of some of Canada’s provinces and noted a shortage of skilled workers in key industries, something that would need to be improved upon to increase Canada’s competitiveness in the years ahead.

View the top North American MBA programs >