Keynote Speaker

Featuring keynote speaker:
Mike Holden
Chief Economist for the Canadian Manufacturers’ & Exporters Association (CME)

Mike brings over 20 years of experience as an economist and public policy analyst. He leads CME’s economic analysis and forecasting functions and plays a key role in policy research and setting CME’s strategic agenda for government advocacy on behalf of manufacturers and exporters across Canada.

As the director of CME’s major research projects, Mike has written on a wide range of issues important to manufacturers including tax competitiveness, NAFTA and female representation in the manufacturing workforce. In addition, Mike regularly speaks across Canada about the economy and the issues and challenges facing Canadian manufacturers.

Mike was the Senior Economist at the Canada West Foundation, where he managed the foundation’s economic analysis and fiscal policy research agenda. He worked on a number of major public policy issues including energy development, fiscal federalism, infrastructure investment and resource revenue savings. Mike spent nine years in Ottawa at the Library of Parliament, providing research and analysis to Members of Parliament on a range of economic, policy and trade issues. He was lead analyst for both the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade, and the Canadian section of the Pan-American parliamentary association.