Prime Minister Mark Carney hosts Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at a state dinner in Ottawa on Monday.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is courting wealthy Gulf investors, hosted a dinner in Ottawa on Monday for Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich heart of the United Arab Emirates.
A guest list of nearly 120 names obtained by The Globe and Mail shows many in Canada’s corporate elite were invited to dine with Sheikh Khaled and senior members of Abu Dhabi’s ruling circle.
The dinner capped the first day of a two-day visit to Canada by the Crown Prince, whose father is the president of the UAE.
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The blossoming relationship between Canada and the UAE has included the inking of a free trade agreement in July and an investment protection treaty that went into force in May. Mr. Carney came back from a visit to the country last fall touting a UAE commitment to invest $70-billion in Canada.
Ottawa is deepening ties with the UAE and other foreign trade partners as part of a push by the Prime Minister to lessen Canada’s economic reliance on the United States.
One of the most prominent invitees to the dinner was former prime minister Stephen Harper. The list leaned toward companies and investors with stakes in defence and security, energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, international development, space, advanced communications, quantum computing and artificial intelligence – all areas in which the Prime Minister’s Office has said the two countries will expand relations.
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The invitees also included lawyers, consultants and lobbyists representing business interests in Ottawa, as well as provincial representatives, hospital and university leaders, museum administrators and representatives of Indigenous communities.
Members of the Desmarais family, long synonymous with Power Corporation of Canada, were on the list. André Desmarais, deputy chairman of Power Corporation of Canada, and Paul Desmarais III, a senior vice-president, were both listed, along with executives from Power Sustainable, a Power Corp. investment arm.
Also among the invitees were representatives of several large industrial companies, including Gregory Ebel, chief executive of Enbridge Inc.; Ian Edwards of engineering firm AtkinsRéalis; Alexandre L’Heureux of WSP Global; Kieran Hawe of construction company EllisDon; Bruce Power’s chief operating officer, James Scongack; and Eric Desaulniers, head of graphite developer Nouveau Monde Graphite.
Victor Dodig, recently appointed chief executive of Telus Corp., was also listed, as was Éric Martel, chief executive of Bombardier Inc.
Members of the tech industry were invited, including Joelle Pineau, chief AI officer at Cohere, and Valérie Pisano, chief executive of Mila.
Big investors and lenders were also on the list, including Deborah Orida, chief executive of PSP Investments; Alison Nankivell of Export Development Canada; and Geneviève Bouthillier, an executive vice-president at BDC Capital. So were government-relations heads from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, HOOPP and Sun Life, and venture investor Chris Arsenault of Inovia. Gurinder Grewal, named chief executive of Invest in Canada on Aug. 31, was also on the list.
Many members of Mr. Carney’s inner circle were listed, including Marc-André Blanchard, his chief of staff; Michael Sabia, Clerk of the Privy Council; David Morrison, a senior diplomatic adviser; Scott Gilmore, principal secretary; and Jennifer MacIntyre, a deputy chief of staff. The ambassadors to the United States and the UAE, Mark Wiseman and Angad Dhillon, were also on the list. So was Sébastien Carrière, Global Affairs Canada’s chief of protocol.
Many of the Emiratis who were invited work for the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court. Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, the court’s chairman, and Saif Ghobash, chairman of the Crown Prince’s Office and secretary-general of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, were listed, as was Sultan Al Jaber, who is both the UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology and chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.
Among the rest of the Emirati contingent on the list were representatives of DP World, a Dubai-based port operator that on Monday announced a memorandum of understanding with the owner of Manitoba’s Port of Churchill to explore further development of an expanded northern shipping corridor. Douglas Smith, chief executive officer of the company’s operations in Canada, was invited, as was Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, chairman of Dubai Chambers, who also sits on DP World’s board.
The full list obtained by The Globe is below.
Michael Sabia, Privy Council Office, Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet of CanadaIbrahim Ismail Mohamed Alhosani, UAE Investments, DirectorOmar Alghabra, Bechtel, VP, Public Infrastructure Canada and Former Minister of TransportShafqat Ali, Government of Canada, President of the Treasury BoardAnita Anand, Government of Canada, Minister of Foreign AffairsJean-François Bélisle, National Gallery of Canada, Director and CEOPeter Bethlenfalvy, Government of Ontario, Minister of FinanceMarc-André Blanchard, Prime Minister’s Office, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of CanadaKody Blois, House of Commons, MPTabatha Bull, Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, President and CEOEloge Butera, Power Sustainable, Director of Policy and Stakeholder EngagementFrançois-Philippe Champagne, Government of Canada, Minister of Finance and National RevenueEric Desaulniers, Nouveau Monde Graphite, President and CEOAndré Desmarais, Power Corporation of Canada, Deputy ChairmanPaul Desmarais III, Power Corporation of Canada, Senior Vice-PresidentVictor Dodig, Telus, CEOGregory L. Ebel, Enbridge Inc., President and CEOIan Edwards, AtkinsRéalis, President and CEOVictor Fedeli, Government of Ontario, Minister of Economic DevelopmentMona Fortier, House of Commons, MPSean Fraser, Government of Canada, Minister of JusticeStephen Fuhr, House of Commons, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement)Mathieu Gaudreault, DP World, Senior Director, Government Relations and Public AffairsNick Geale, DP World, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs for the AmericasScott Gilmore, PMO, Principal SecretaryGurinder Grewal, Invest in Canada, CEOStephen Harper, Government of Canada, Former Prime Minister of CanadaBruce Hartley, Prospectus, Senior PartnerKieran Hawe, EllisDon, President and CEOTim Hodgson, Government of Canada, Minister of Energy and Natural ResourcesAhmed Hussen, House of Commons, MPVikram Khurana, Prudential Consulting Inc., FounderSally Lamie, CAE, General Manager – UAEDavid Lederhendler, Yeji Data Lab, Founder and CEOAlexandre L’Heureux, WSP Global, President and CEOConnor Lyons, Power Sustainable, Partner and Head of Strategic InitiativesJennifer MacIntyre, PMO, Deputy Chief of StaffElder Marques, Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, PartnerEric Martel, Bombardier, President and CEODavid McGuinty, Government of Canada, Minister of National DefenceDavid Morrison, PCO, Senior Diplomatic and International Affairs Advisor to the Prime MinisterAlison Nankivell, Export Development Canada, President and CEOTaleeb Noormohamed, House of Commons, MPRay Novak, Harper & Associates, Managing DirectorDeborah Orida, PSP Investments, President and CEOZubair Patel, no titleJean-Claude Piedboeuf, Canadian Space Agency, Acting PresidentValérie Pisano, Mila, President and CEOTim Ross, no titleKarim Sabbagh, Space42, Managing DirectorHarjit Sajjan, Government of Canada, Former MinisterRandeep Sarai, Government of Canada, MinisterImran Shaikh, Campus Developments, CEOManinder Sidhu, Government of Canada, Minister of International TradeEvan Solomon, Government of Canada, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital InnovationJulie Soloway, Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, Co-Chair of the Competition/Antitrust and Foreign Investment GroupJenna Sudds, House of Commons, MPsKarl Tabbakh, McCarthy Tétrault, PartnerMark Wiseman, Global Affairs Canada, Ambassador of Canada to the United StatesCindy Woodhouse, Assembly of First Nations (AFN), National ChiefMark Carney, Government of Canada, Prime Minister of CanadaKhaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Delegation, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive CouncilKhalifa Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, UAE Delegation, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s CourtReem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, UAE Delegation, Minister of State For International CooperationSultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Delegation, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO – ADNOCThani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Delegation, Minister Of Foreign TradeMohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, UAE Delegation, Minister of State for Defense AffairsSultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Delegation, Chairman of Dubai ChambersGhanem Sultan AlSuwaidi, UAE Delegation, Assistant Deputy National Security Advisor / Advisor of Security Affairs at Crown Prince CourtSaif Saeed Ghobash, UAE Delegation, Chairman of the Crown Prince’s OfficeMaryam Eid Al Mheiri, UAE Delegation, Advisor of Strategic Relations at the Crown Prince CourtAbdulrahman Ali Almur Al Neyadi, UAE Delegation, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to CanadaHamad Salem Belhabala Al Ketbi, UAE Delegation, Director General of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Protocol OfficeRidha Chilmeran, Vector Institute, Government Relations LeadNazim Benhadid, TELUS, Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology OfficerRabih Abouchakra, UAE Presidential Court, Executive Director, Office of Development AffairsMohamed-Iqbal Ravalia, Senate of Canada, SenatorMina Mitry, Kepler Communications, Co-Founder and CEOJulian Ovens, Crestview Strategy, PartnerChris Eaton, Aga Khan Museum, Acting CEOKevin Smith, University Health Network, President and CEOTed Wagstaff, North45, PresidentRonald D. Cohn, SickKids Hospital, President & CEOGlenn Cowan, ONE9, Founder & Managing DirectorMark Fisher, Canada Water Agency, PresidentR. Scott Jolliffe, Canada Arab Business Council, ChairVera Etches, CHEO, President and CEODavid Hutton, Former Ambassador of Canada to the UAEMasud Husain, Former Ambassador of Canada to the UAETia Tariq, Dangote Group, Senior AdvisorJeffrey Steiner, Canada-Saudi Business Council, JD Chair & CEOChris Arsenault, Inovia, PartnerSébastien Carrière, Global Affairs Canada, Chief of ProtocolPhil Kurtz, BlackBerry, General Counsel and Head of Government AffairsDouglas Smith, DP World, CEO of DP World’s operations in CanadaJames Scongack, Bruce Power, Chief Operating OfficerGary Anandasangaree, Government of Canada, Minister of Public SafetyFarouk Adatia, Delegation of the Ismaili to Canada, Interim Diplomatic RepresentativeAngad Dhillon, Global Affairs Canada, Canadian Ambassador to UAEAli Salam, Sun Life, VP and Head, Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, Canada and CorporateMarc Dupont, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Global Head, Government and Public AffairsJennifer Rook, HOOPP, VP, Government, Regulatory & Stakeholder AffairsMarc Weinstein, McGill University, VP University AdvancementDeep Saini, McGill University, PresidentMohammad Al Zaibak, Former Senator and former Chair of the Canada Arab Business CouncilTodd Burke, Gowling WLG, PartnerJoelle Pineau, Cohere, Chief AI OfficerGeneviève Bouthillier, BDC Capital, executive vice-presidentAalya Alshehhi, UAE Embassy, Minister plenipotentiaryKhalifa Buhazza, UAE Embassy, Head of Support ServicesSaeed Al Suwaidi, UAE Embassy, UAE permanent representative to ICAOKhaled Almarzooqi, UAE Embassy, Defense, Military, Naval and Air AttachéFrance Chretien Desmarais, no titleYasir Naqvi, House of Commons Canada, Member of ParliamentRegan Watts, FrattonPark, no titleMaryam Saleem, Al Barakah Dates, no titleAlexandre Lévêque, Global Affairs Canada, no titleSheikha Mohamed Alsayed, UAE Trade Ministers Office, no titleMohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, UAE Official delegation, N/A