To further expand on the issue, Ms. Stymiest called on all levels of government and corporate Canada to join her at an international symposium on corporate governance and competitiveness sponsored by TSX Group, to be held in Toronto on Friday, June 6, 2003. The one-day event, entitled "Competing Globally, Regulating Nationally: Competitive Governance in a Global Market," is hosted by the Canadian Foundation for Investor Education (CFIE), in association with the University of Alberta School of Business.
"We're pleased to help sponsor an event that could spell the beginning of a new, forward-looking and productive transatlantic dialogue on the need to accommodate national differences in regulation," said Ms. Stymiest.
Focused on the theme of corporate governance as an instrument of national competitiveness, the symposium will examine:
- How to improve the openness and growth of capital markets in the face of the global challenges corporate governance has highlighted
- The longer-term implications of current and future governance systems for Canada's competitiveness domestically and globally
- The U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act and its impact on U.S. and foreign market competitiveness in an era of globalization
- The difficulty and necessity of accommodating national differences in a global market
Dr. Benn Steil, Director of International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, will give the keynote lunch address. Dr. Steil's recent proposal for a "mutual recognition system" between exchanges on both sides of the Atlantic responds directly to the international debates on harmonization and Sarbanes-Oxley.
Other speakers include: Peter Wallison, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Washington; Michael Percy, Dean, University of Alberta School of Business; Randall Morck, University of Alberta School of Business; Randall Powley, Chief Economist, Ontario Securities Commission; Richard Balfour, Partner, Torys LLP; Tom Atkinson, President & CEO, Market Regulation Services Inc; Bernard Yeung, Stern School of Business, New York University.
As Dean Michael Percy puts it, "We have long understood that concepts of governance need to be crafted to span both cultural and geographic distances. The idea that governance can or should be competitive is timely. We at the University of Alberta School of Business believe that principles of good governance can deliver a competitive advantage. The Canadian experience provides many examples."
This is the third symposium in CFIE's series on Canada's capital markets. According to Ralph McLeod, Chair of the CFIE, "without an open, inclusive discussion of the issues facing Canada's capital markets, we can't ensure the future health and vitality of our economy. This series is designed to engage those who can lead change in that discussion."
For information or to register, go to www.tsx.com ("Events") or www.bus.alberta.ca.
Canadian Foundation For Investor Education
CFIE is a national, charitable organization dedicated to increasing interest, knowledge and understanding of issues important to Canadian investors and capital markets. The Foundation seeks to create a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For more information on CFIE, go to www.tsx.com ("About Us" then "Education") or send a note to cfie@tsx.com or symposium@tsx.com
University of Alberta School of Business
Established in 1916 as a school of accountancy, the University of Alberta School of Business is a research-intensive, full-service business school. Our 16,000 Bcom, MBA and PhD graduates are actively involved in the business and public-policy fabric of Alberta and Canada. For more information go to www.bus.ualberta.ca
