All news
Brian Bowman's AGM Speech
October 07, 2011
October 5, 2011
Councilor Scott Fielding, Past Chair, Judy Murphy, David Angus and Chamber staff, outgoing and newly elected members of the board, Chamber members, guests. Welcome and thank you for attending. And thank you for bestowing upon me the great honour and privilege of serving as your Chair for the coming year.
I would like to begin by acknowledging and thanking my firm, Pitblado Law, for its long-standing support for the Chamber. I am pleased that many of my colleagues are here today.
I would also like to thank my wife, Tracy, for her ongoing support for my volunteer work with the Chamber and other community groups. The sometimes competing demands of professional life - in my case private law practice - raising young children and actively participating in the community can be a challenge. And in my case it would not be possible to balance these competing demands without the support of friends, colleagues and family. Some of you may have seen our two boys, Hayden and Austin, who are here today. I am so happy that they are in attendance because my efforts; my passion for Winnipeg is driven by a desire to create a safer, more sustainable and prosperous community for them.
Being sworn in today as the 118th Chair of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce makes me reflect on how much has changed over the past century. For example, I would have been ostracized - and quite possibly arrested - if I admitted in the late 1880s that I "Googled" myself. I do not want to even think about what would have happened if I "Tweeted" someone.
I have one question for your today. Where is the leadership? If real "leadership" is about creating a platform, or the conditions, for people to contribute to making extraordinary things happen, then Winnipeg definitely needs more leadership.
Recently, the Manitoba Employers Council released a report that clearly shows that despite the fact that over the last decade we have seen Manitoba’s economy grow in a slow, yet steady manner we find ourselves in many instances falling further behind neighboring jurisdictions. The Manitoba Prosperity Report reviewed and analyzed a number of key economic indicators over the last ten years to determine whether Manitoba has achieved its prosperity potential relative to British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. The Report highlights that while Manitoba’s personal disposable income has increased by 20 per cent, it ranks last among its neighbors. Manitoba is the only province to post a net interprovincial migration loss each year. And labour force growth and high school and post-secondary graduation rates, while improving, are not keeping pace with other jurisdictions.
These statistics should be of great concern to all Manitobans.
Tommy Douglas once said “improving people’s economic condition is not an end in itself, it’s a means to an end…" I agree. Because if we fail to improve our economic condition the most vulnerable in our society will be disproportionately affected.
So, should we point the finger at City Hall, Broadway or Ottawa? On some issues the unequivocal answer is "yes". But that is the easy answer. Sadly, waiting for our political leaders to act on certain issues is ineffective. Not because we don't have good people in elected office. We do, across the political spectrum.
Watching the Vancouver riots earlier this year I was disgusted by the fact that many bystanders to the rioting did not even try to intervene to stop the mayhem. Instead, they watched. Now Winnipeg does not have rioters in the streets. But we are, as a community, continuing to witness acute issues of violent crime, infrastructure decay and an economy that is falling further behind neighbouring jurisdictions.
Will we be bystanders? Will we simply watch and complain that our elected officials are not fixing our problems? Malcolm Gladwell claims in his book "The Tipping Point" that "if you want to bring a fundamental change in people's behavior… you need to create a community around them, where those new beliefs can be practiced and expressed and nurtured."
Why do I volunteer for Chamber? Because I don't want to be a bystander. And neither do you. I want to support a fundamental change that will result in a safer and more prosperous, vibrant community.
It is interesting how we often we define others by their current lot in life. Today I'm a partner at Pitblado Law. However, if I addressed you when I was a University of Manitoba student, and member of the Bison swim team, I would have been proudly sporting my Speedo and swim cap instead of a suit and tie. It really is fortunate for you that we did not meet then.
I appreciate the fact that each of us come from different areas of the city, even the world. But one of the best things about Winnipeg is it does not matter where you come from. If you work hard, and have the benefit of a strong support group, you - we - can do remarkable things together.
Yesterday's Globe and Mail featured an article by Roy MacGregor in which he claimed that the motto of Manitoba should be "prove ’em wrong". MacGregor highlighted the fact that the history of this area is a history of "overcoming the seemingly impossible, right from the aboriginals who mastered this unkind climate to the Selkirk Settlers who came here in 1813 – sailing through the north and wintering on Hudson Bay before trekking here with their supplies – and even the forcing of provincial status itself in 1870….forever up against the doubters, forever having to prove 'em wrong."
I am very optimistic about the future of our city and our province because when leaders step up, and rally around worthwhile causes, we prove 'em wrong. We did it back then and we are continuing to do it today with initiatives like the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, CenterPort Canada, the new Stadium and, yes, the return of the Winnipeg Jets! But we need leadership - now more than ever - to leverage the momentum of each of these exciting initiatives in a way that crystallizes a clear vision for Winnipeg.
My vision is not just to be the geographic centre of Canada, but to be the real and perceived center of economic prosperity, environmental protectionism and social cohesion. There is no reason why we can not be the economic engine of Canada, the leader in environmental stewardship and an example to the nation of how diverse peoples - in all respects - can grow together in safe and vibrant communities.
The Chamber is helping us move closer to this vision. It's leading by creating platforms for people to contribute to make extraordinary things happen.
Working with Manitoba's Bilingual Trade Agency, ANIM, the Chamber organized a highly acclaimed, internationally attended, business networking conference last year known as Centrallia. It was so successful that we are holding another Centrallia next year. The Manitoba BOLD initiative is another example of the Chamber leading. And do not forget another prime example of where your efforts and resources have led to tangible results, the "Yes! Winnipeg" initiative. The Yes! Winnipeg business development team began as "Selling Winnipeg to the World", an initiative that started as a Chamber notion that we can do better as a city when it comes to attracting, expanding, and retaining business. The results speak for themselves. The Yes! Winnipeg team has a record of success. This is a shining example of where time and resources expended on volunteer efforts like the Chamber can make a real difference to people in our community.
As your Chair, what are my priorities for the coming year?
First and foremost, I look forward to supporting the efforts to implement the 2011 - 2013 Strategic Plan entitled "Be BOLD". It is a three-year strategic plan that will leverage the opportunities and strengths in this province. It is about communicating, engaging, lobbying and creating excitement about change. It is about shifting the focus to the next phase - attracting people to our city as tourists and creative talent, developing an international mindset and action plan, celebrating our successes and leveraging the expertise of our membership for the benefit of the business community. The pillars of our Plan, as David Angus has just set out in detail and as will be posted on the Chamber website, are for the Chamber to focus energy at policy development, initiatives and programs related to: BOLD ideas that enhance prosperity for all Manitobans; Winnipeg as Canada's International City; attracting and retaining our people; and membership value.
In order for our Plan to be fully realized we need to increase the already visible public brand of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, with a particular focus on clarifying what the Chamber is, and how its efforts to support job creators - the business community - are in all of our best interests.
We will do this, in part, by better leveraging the impressive networks of our outstanding members of the board and membership, and by finding ways of better tapping into their wealth of expertise and personal interests so that we focus energies in ways that provide them and the Chamber with maximum value for time invested.
I hope to leverage my passion for public policy to lend particular attention to the Chamber's BOLD initiative, the objective of which is to encourage and influence government, business and the general public to pursue BOLD new actions that enhance our community and make economic development a priority. It is time to be BOLD and to guarantee Winnipeg a place on the world stage. Over the course of the next three years we will elevate our thinking to be aggressive in putting all the pieces of the economic puzzle together to shape our future and increase prosperity for all Manitobans. Stay tuned, and please participate, in the coming months as we build on the momentum of our BOLD efforts to date.
"In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course". These timeless words from JFK remind us that real leadership is built on a foundation of collective efforts. You are here because you are leaders. You care deeply about our city. Many of you are in noteworthy positions of leadership. I challenge each of you to step up, with renewed energy and determination, to make something extraordinary happen in the coming years in our great city! And you can do that through a robust and vibrant Chamber that has shown the capacity to serve not only as the voice of business but as one the best vehicles for leaders - you - to affect positive change in our city.
Your new board and I look forward to working with you. Thank you.