Canadian Chamber Leads Delegation at B7 Summit in Italy with a focus on AI

[ROME, ITALY] — [May 15, 2024] — Today, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce kicked off its three-day B7 mission in Italy, comprised of two dozen delegates who are business leaders from various Canadian economic sectors including technology, finance, sustainability and law.

The Business Federations of the Group of Seven, or “B7”, is the most significant and recognized of the G7 Engagement Groups. The role of the B7 is to represent and coordinate the interests and positions of the business community in the G7 countries and to develop concrete and actionable proposals for G7 leaders. The 2024 Summit’s presidency is held by Italy, and next year the G7 and the B7 will be hosted in Canada. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the official representative for Canada at the B7 table.

To inform the Canadian Chamber’s B7 work throughout 2024, CEOs of three leading Canadian companies were invited to be part of the B7 High-Level Engagement Group for Canada: Mark Barrenechea, CEO and CTO of OpenText; Julie Gascon, President and CEO of the Port of Montreal, and Aidan Gomez, CEO of Cohere.

Focus on AI

This year’s B7 focuses on four clusters: economic security and global value chains; data economy and digital transformation; energy, environment and climate transition, and the future of work. The impact of AI on business and the economy is the major overarching theme.

To set the stage for the summit’s discussions, the Canadian Chamber is hosting a pre-B7 event on May 15, titled “AI: The Missing Piece of the Productivity Puzzle?” to explore the transformative role of AI in driving economic growth and productivity. Speakers include the Hon. David Lametti and Elissa Golberg, Ambassador of Canada to Italy, as well as several global experts on AI from G7 countries and leading technology organizations.

The Canadian Chamber is an advocate for policies that support AI innovation and business adoption, which is especially relevant at a time when Canada continues to lag behind its global peers in terms of productivity. Through its participation in the B7 Summit, the Canadian Chamber aims to influence global policies that will shape the future of AI and business.

Mission supporters include Amazon Web Services (AWS), OpenText, Microsoft, Telus and the Canadian Chamber in Italy.

Business leaders, government officials, policy influencers and students are invited to participant in the May 15th event, in-person or virtually. To register, click here. To learn more about the B7 Delegation, click here.

Quotes

The B7 Summit is a vital tool for shaping global economic policies and fostering international cooperation, which is especially important in the turbulent times in which we live.

It is more than just a forum for ideas; it’s where we transform innovation into economic growth, shaping a brighter future for generations to come. As we prepare to host the B7 next year during Canada’s G7 presidency, we’re eager to lead the charge on policies that will create greater prosperity for all our nations

The Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Canada has noteworthy and unique early advantages in building its AI ecosystem. In capitalizing on our early achievements in this field, Canada has undertaken a series of initiatives to support the responsible development of AI that enhance productivity, leading to economic growth. I commend the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s contributions to the ambitious but practical agenda set out by the B7, especially around AI and its role in the economy, and look forward to the group’s conclusions

Elissa Golberg, Ambassador of Canada to Italy, Ambassador of Canada to Albania and San Marino, High Commissioner to Malta, and Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN Agencies in Rome (IFAD, FAO, WFP)

Making the link between AI business adoption and productivity is a topic of increasing relevance globally, and especially important for Canada. Together, we must ensure that our regulatory environment is conducive to such innovation, and interoperable with our trading partners. I’m pleased to be working with the Canadian Chamber as it relates to its B7 work to advance global alignment on this critical matter.

Mark Barrenechea, CEO and CTO, OpenText

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce — The Future of Business Success

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network — representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 business of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country — to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance.

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Contact
Rewa Mourad
Public Relations Specialist Canadian Chamber of Commerce
rmourad@chamber.ca