Visit to Montreal (G7 Research Summits and C2 Montreal)

On May 25, 2018, the Governor General answered questions asked by Mr. Harley Finkelstein, entrepreneur, lawyer and Chief Operating Officer of Shopify, during a fireside chat at the C2 Montréal conference.

Mr. Tim Argetsinger, Executive Political Advisor, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, was able to offer an Inuit perspective during the discussion.

While at C2 Montréal, the Governor General had the opportunity to meet with Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau, Governor of Victoria, Australia, and her husband Mr. Anthony Howard. In October 2018, Melbourne will be hosting C2 Melbourne.

C2 Montréal brings together commerce and creativity to explore trends, opportunities, disruptions and major shifts on the horizon.

The conversation led by Mr. Finkelstein wrapped up the “Following through on far-out ideas” conference block of C2 Montréal.

The theme of the C2 Montréal conference in 2018 was Transformative Collisions. At C2 Montréal, the core belief remains the same: that it’s at the intersection of commerce and creativity that innovative and actionable solutions to the challenges of our times will be found.

As the music director of the OSM, Kent Nagano rejuvenated the OSM, increasing its profile worldwide and instilling a sense of pride into the City of Montréal. He has toured with the orchestra, travelling from Yellowknife through Nunavik to St. John’s, showcasing music as a source of cultural dialogue and as an outlet to creating unity in diversity.

Later in the evening, following a concert given by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (QSM), the governor general presented a Meritorious Service Medal to Maestro Kent Nagano, conductor and music director of the OSM.

The closing remarks of the Arctic Sustainability Summit were offered by Mr. Chad Gaffield, President of the Royal Society of Canada.

On May 24, 2018, Her Excellency delivered remarks during the Arctic Sustainability Summit held in Montréal on May 23 and 24, 2018.

The Arctic Sustainability Summit featured dozens of scholarly, scientific and elected leaders from throughout Canada and around the world.

The Governor General offered her own perspective on the importance of the Arctic, highlighting the themes of collaboration, trust and respect and data and research.

The Arctic Sustainability Summit was hosted by The Royal Society of Canada in collaboration with the Fonds de recherche du Québec. Mr. Rémi Quirion, Chief Scientist of Quebec, introduced the Governor General.

Before delivering her remarks, Her Excellency listened to a panel discussion on the Future of Arctic Science and the National Inuit Strategy on Research. The moderator was Mr. David Scott, President and CEO for Polar Knowledge Canada (first on the left). The panelists were Ms. Dominique Bérubé, Vice-President, Research program at Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; Mr. Tim Argetsinger, Executive Political Advisor, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; and Ms. Leah Braithwaite, Executive Director of ArcticNet (at the podium) .

Every year, more than 6 500 decision makers and creative minds unite at C2 Montréal to collectively shape, experience and challenge the future of business.