What Was Justin Trudeau Doing in Davos?
Momentum Public Relations
Although Davos has a population of just over 11,000, this Swiss municipality is known around the world. The reason this small town has a global reputation is it’s where the World Economic Forum is hosted each year. The World Economic Forum, which is often simply referred to as the WEF, is a meeting where top businesspeople and politicians from across the globe come together. Around 2,200 elites meet over the course of five days to discuss everything from poverty to international conflicts.
Attending the WEF is why Justin Trudeau made the trip to Switzerland. One of the highlights from his trip was taking the event’s main stage and explaining to an audience of several hundred people why Canada is so well-suited for the rapidly changing global economy. He mentioned resilience, diversity, confidence and positivity as key factors that make Canada such an appealing economy.
How Justin Trudeau’s WEF Speech Differed from Stephen Harper’s
Because the World Economic Forum takes place every year in Davos, it was just a few years ago when the man addressing this event on behalf of Canada was Stephen Harper. As Trudeau mentioned in his own speech, Harper’s focus in 2012 was making the world aware of all the resources that Canada had to offer. While those resources are still a very important part of the Canadian economy, Trudeau said in his speech that he wants “you to know Canadians for our resourcefulness.”
The Prime Minister’s speech comes at a time when the Canadian economy is facing some very significant challenges. Specifically, oil prices have dipped to their lowest in over a decade. That has resulted in the government exploring new revenue channels, significant job losses across the oil industry and a weakening of the Canadian dollar.
During the course of his speech, Trudeau emphasized the very important role that diversity plays in Canada. He also made it clear that technology is important, but won’t be the determining factor in the future that Canada creates. Instead, that future will be the result of the types of leaders that Canada is able to produce.
Other Important Aspects of Trudeau’s Time in Davos
In addition to giving a very impactful speech, Trudeau had a very busy agenda while in Davos. The Prime Minister shared much of what he was doing via Twitter. He spent time with Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, as well as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. He shared a picture of himself with GM CEO Mary Barra and said he told her that he hopes the company will continue creating jobs by investing in Canada.
Trudeau didn’t only spend time meeting with businesspeople. He had an opportunity to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry. He also sat down with Melinda Gates to talk about gender parity. As this panel discussed, gender parity won’t be reached until 2133 unless measures are taken at all levels to help accelerate progress.
And for a little bit of fun during all of these very important conversations, Trudeau had an opportunity to check out a variety of new high-tech devices like the Oculus Rift. While those were the types of meetings that Trudeau shared through Twitter, the World Economic Forum is known for being the site of plenty of private meetings. Those types of meetings include people like Ben van Beurden, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, as well as the famous financier George Soros. Having access to such a wealthy audience of people provided Trudeau a chance to meet with investors who might be interested in putting more of their money into Canada and the next chapter of its economy.
Justin sat with John Kerry and did not mention how wrong the KXL decision was? Shameful.