Canada's Productivity Initiative: Saskatoon

This event brings together leading policy experts and industry stakeholders to examine how Canada's energy and resource sectors can drive national productivity growth. The discussion will explore concrete policy pathways to enhance competitiveness, strengthen investment conditions, and leverage Western Canada's resource advantages in a rapidly evolving global economy. 

• Alaz Munzur, Professor of Economics at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan 

• Trevor Tombe, Professor and Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy, the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary 

Canada's Natural Resources: Building Resiliency in Turbulent Times 

Canada's energy, mineral, agricultural, and forest sectors are facing a range of pressures at home and abroad. These pressures, particularly external geopolitical and trade tensions, are driving action at home.  Building resiliency in our natural resources sector will require deregulation and unleashing the market in some areas, and greater government intervention in others. Striking this balance across regions, projects, and sectors will not be easy but will be essential to our continued prosperity and national resilience. 

Speaker

• Robert (RJ) Johnston, Director of Energy Policy, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary

Resources and Productivity 
How resource companies can drive productivity growth in Canada, balancing innovation, infrastructure, and sustainability.

Moderator

• Greg Poelzer, Professor, School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan 

Panellists

• Tom Kishchuk, Executive Director, Global Institute for Energy, Minerals & Society
• Sean Willy, President & Chief Executive Officer of Des Nedhe Group
• Kirk Brecht, Executive Director of Mineral Policy and Resource Development at the Ministry of Energy and Resources 

The talk will assess Canadian agriculture productivity over time and how do we compare to our competitors. It will explore aspects of total factor productivity including climate and land quality, technology advancement, market access, government policies and availability of labour, culture factors. The talk will focus mostly on primary production but will make connections to how value added processing and downstream innovations can influence overall productivity of the sector. 

Speaker

• Bill Greuel, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan

Agriculture and Productivity 
Technological innovation, environmental constraints, and trade policy challenges shaping agricultural productivity. 

Moderator

• Tristan Skolrud, College of Agriculture and Bioresources

Panellists

• Tyler McCann, Managing Director, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute
• Dale Leftwich, Policy Manager, SaskOilseeds
• Stuart Smyth, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan
• Alastair MacFadden, Assistant Deputy Minister, Prairies Economic Development Canada

Synthesis of panel and keynote takeaways; Path forward for collaboration and policy impact 

• Trevor Tombe, Professor and Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy, the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary