A Credit Rating Agency on Canadian Government Finances
Federal and provincial governments across Canada have been recording budget deficits for several years, which is raising concerns around their financial capacity in a time of heightened uncertainty. Deficits and debt can get very political with opposition parties often attacking governments on their management of public finances. However, the financial market tends to look at government finances through a different lens and focuses on the ability to repay debt obligations. Credit rating agencies play an important role in this ecosystem by rating issuers. To learn more about how credit rating agencies look at current financial situation of governments in Canada, StrategyCorp welcomed on the podcast Travis Shaw, Morningstar DBRS’ Senior Vice President & Sector Lead for Global Sovereign Ratings.
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Venture Capital and Private Equity in Canada
The current Trump-induced uncertainty is impacting every aspect of the economy, including capital flows. When it gets harder to predict economic patterns, investors become more risk-averse and companies have a harder time accessing capital. To get a better sense of the capital and funding landscape in Canada, the StrategyCorp Institute invited the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association on the podcast. Adriana Vega, VP of Government Affairs, and David Kornacki, Director of Data and Product, shared their insights on the trends in venture capital and private equity, and on the role government can play to support the sector.
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Secteur manufacturier québécois: Trump, défis et solutions
Le retour de Donald Trump à la Maison Blanche et la mise en place de tarifs douaniers créent de nombreux défis pour les entreprises manufacturières québécoises. Les taux, la portée et même l’échéancier de ces tarifs ont changé à plusieurs reprises depuis janvier. Ces revirements de situation causent beaucoup d’incertitude pour les dirigeants d’entreprise et les travailleurs. Afin de dresser un portrait de la situation dans le secteur manufacturier et de discuter des défis et des solutions, l’Institut de StrategyCorp a eu le plaisir d’accueillir Julie White, Présidente-directrice générale de Manufacturiers & Exportateurs du Québec, et Philippe Couillard, conseiller principal à StrategyCorp.
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How Are the Democrats Opposing Donald Trump?
The first 100 days of the second Trump presidency have been a whirlwind. Between policy announcements on Truth Social, a barrage of tariffs and cuts to the civil service, the Trump White House has been moving fast and breaking things. Amid this breakneck pace, the Democrats are trying to oppose Trump on Capitol Hill while also getting ready for the 2026 mid-term elections. Bruce Fisher, a veteran of American politics, joins the podcast to discuss how the Democrats are dealing with the Trump earthquake and preparing for the mid-term elections. He also shares his insight into how Canada should deal with Trump 2.0.
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Tariffs and Economic Development: Threats, Opportunities and Strategies
The 100th episode of Intended Consequences explores the impacts of the U.S. tariffs on economic development in Canada. Many Canadian communities are vulnerable to tariffs with Saint John (NB), Calgary and Windsor topping the list according to the U.S. Tariff Exposure Index developed by the Business Data Lab at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The Director of the Economic Development Program at the University of Waterloo, Brock Dickinson, joins the podcast to discuss how economic development is impacted by tariffs and what it could mean for sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. He shares helpful strategies local economic development officers can deploy to support companies and make their communities more resilient.
Intended Consequences is the official podcast of the StrategyCorp Institute. The podcast discusses practical provincial and Canadian policy ideas that achieve the actual goals they are designed to achieve with interesting guests and experts. The Institute aims to combine political acuity with policy recommendations to provide a one-stop shop for expert policy advice that is politically practical and possible to implement.
StrategyCorp is a Canadian advisory firm that prides itself on being at the nexus of government connectivity and smart policy thought.