The Conference of Montreal is an annual economic event organized by the

International Economic Forum of the Americas The International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA), is an international not-for-profit organization headquartered in Canada, with offices in Montreal, Toronto, Miami and Paris. The IEFA was created in 1995 to promote an exchange of views and ...

(IEFA) since

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

Mission

The Conference of Montreal is a

not-for-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

engaged to heightening knowledge and awareness of the issues concerning

economic globalization Economic globalization is one of the three main dimensions of globalization commonly found in academic literature, with the two others being political globalization and cultural globalization, as well as the general term of globalization. Econom ...

, with a particular emphasis on the relations between the Americas and other continents. The Conference works to foster exchanges of information and to promote free discussion on major current economic issues. It also facilitates meetings between world leaders to encourage international discourse by bringing together heads of state, the private sector, international organizations and civil society. The Conference brings together 200 speakers and more than 4,200 people from across the globe every year.

History

The Conference of Montreal was founded in 1995, by Gil Rémillard, at a time when the globalization of the economies was beginning to emerge at an increased rate. With the fall of communism, the success of the "

Uruguay round The Uruguay Round was the 8th round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTN) conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), spanning from 1986 to 1993 and embracing 123 countries as "contracting parties". The R ...

" in 1989, the creation of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

(WTO) in 1994 and the beginnings of

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...

(NAFTA), the world was ready to construct a global market that would benefit to every countries. A desire emerged to create an independent international forum in Montreal, to identify and discuss the impact of all these developments on the global economic system. A first conference was organized on June 20–22, 1995. The IEFA now hosts four annual events: the Conference of Montreal, the Toronto Global Forum (founded in 2007), the World Strategic Forum, held in Miami (founded in 2011), as well as the Conference of Paris (founded in 2017). In June 2018, the Conference of Montreal will celebrate its 25th Anniversary edition under the theme "''Embracing Change",'' and will reiterate its position among the most important international economic forums, connecting world leaders for twenty-five years.Desrosiers, Eric. "La Conference de Montréal gagne en popularité". Le Devoir ontréalMay 23, 2014

Notable Speakers

Board of Governors

Chair

Paul Desmarais, Jr. Paul Desmarais Jr. (born July 3, 1954) is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He has been the chairman and co-CEO of Power Corporation of Canada since 1996. Early life and education Desmarais was born in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontari ...

, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer,

Power Corporation of Canada Power Corporation of Canada () is a management and holding company that focuses on financial services in North America, Europe and Asia. Its core holdings are insurance, retirement, wealth management and investment management, including a portfol ...

(PCC)

Founding Chairman

Gil Rémillard

Governors

Current members of the board of governors of the Conference of Montreal are:

Secretary

Duarte M. Miranda

References

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External links

International Economic Forum of the Americas

Conference of Montreal

Toronto Global Forum

World Strategic Forum
*The Conference of Paris * * * * Annual events in Canada International conferences in Canada Business conferences Global economic conferences