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The Canadian Chamber, 2025 B7 President, Convenes Impactful Event Before Industry, Technology and AI Ministers Meet
Today was about making sure policy and business climate keeps pace with innovation, so Canadian and international businesses can fully participate in defining the rules of the global digital economy.
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Montréal, QC – December 8, 2025 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce today hosted the B7 side event alongside the G7 Industry, Digital and Technology Ministers’ Meeting in Montréal. The event drew nearly 300 attendees, including business leaders, innovators, and policymakers, who discussed strategies to accelerate AI adoption, digital transformation, industrial competitiveness, and resilient global supply chains.
“Our year-long B7 Presidency has reinforced the fact that how we govern AI and digital policy will determine competitiveness, innovation, and workforce readiness for decades,” said Candace Laing, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “Our businesses are at the forefront of one of the most transformative shifts in history. AI and digital technologies are not just tools — they are shaping how economies grow, how industries compete, and how societies function.”
The event featured a keynote by the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. The panels and keynotes throughout the day brought forward sector leaders as well as international counterparts to share their valuable experiences. The event also featured an appearance by the new Mayor of Montréal, the Honourable Soraya Martinez-Ferrada, helping to welcome attendees.
“Today was about making sure policy and business climate keeps pace with innovation, so Canadian and international businesses can fully participate in defining the rules of the global digital economy,” added Catherine Fortin LeFaivre, Senior Vice President, International Policy and Global Partnerships for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “This critical dialogue showed that public-private collaboration is essential if businesses are to harness technology responsibly and effectively, and if governments are to make policies that truly enable economic growth.”
As the 2025 B7 President, the Canadian Chamber emphasized the critical role of private-sector expertise in shaping global policy on AI, emerging technologies, and supply-chain security. The B7 is the official voice of the international business community within the G7 framework, and the Canadian Chamber’s side event provided a platform to ensure business perspectives are heard at the highest levels. This also marked the concluding event of Canada’s 2025 B7 Presidency.
The consensus from the B7 side event:
- Responsible AI adoption: Aligning policy and practice to ensure AI drives productivity, innovation, and trust.
- Digital and industrial competitiveness: Encouraging investment in infrastructure, skills, and R&D to maintain global leadership in emerging technologies.
- Supply-chain resilience: Promoting secure, diversified, and collaborative networks for critical goods and technologies.
- SME empowerment: Reducing barriers for small businesses to participate in the digital economy.
The event underscores Canada’s leadership in convening global partners to advance shared economic and technological priorities while translating high-level G7 commitments into tangible business impact.
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Key resources:
- Agenda + Details: B7 Industry, Digital and Technology Ministerial Side Event
- 2025 B7 Communiqué: Bolstering Economic Security and Resilience
- Background on Canadian Chamber of Commerce Councils
- Canadian Chamber’s Business Data Lab Report (2024): Prompting Productivity: Generative AI Adoption by Canadian Businesses
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 — working 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.
Media Contact
Shane Mackenzie
Vice President, Media and Stakeholder Communications
613.302.7683
smackenzie@chamber.ca
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