StrategyCorp's year-in-review and 2026 look-ahead

StrategyCorp's annual year-in-review & look-ahead episode is back to close out the 2025 season of Intended Consequences. Our expert guests discuss the most important developments of 2025 in politics, communication, real estate, education, technology, and geopolitics, and share what they will be keeping an eye on in 2026 to help us get ready for a new year.

Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), joins the podcast to discuss tariffs and trade diversification. He also provides insight into the state of AI adoption in manufacturing, the value of intellectual property and the crucial role of postsecondary institutions in training the workforce the sector needs.

Municipalities, economic developers and companies will want to listen to this episode as Jayson Myers explains how they can partner with NGen to showcase Canadian manufacturing capabilities at home and abroad.

Making location decisions has never been as challenging for companies. Global and local factors are extensively influencing investment dynamics and shaping economic development.

Gregg Wassmansdorf, Senior Managing Director of Global Strategy consulting at Newmark, joins the podcast to discuss the state of site selection in Canada and the United States. He provides expert insight into investment readiness, business retention and expansion (BR+E), tariffs, and how politics and policy influence site selection.

Joanne Chianello and Stacy Hushion join the podcast to discuss StrategyCorp's 2025 Ontario Municipal Chief Administrative Officer Survey . With a municipal election a year away, longstanding pressures facing local governments and Trump-induced uncertainty, it was an interesting time to engage with CAOs to hear their views. Our guests share the Survey's insights into the local impacts of geopolitics, incivility, strong mayor powers, and provincial-municipal relations.

After a busy summer for the government and opposition parties, Members of Parliament are back in Ottawa for the return of the House of Commons. Between the ongoing tension with the United States, the return of Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons, and an upcoming federal budget amid a slowing economy, there will be no shortage of political and economic developments to keep an eye on this fall.

Jeff Mahon joins the podcast to provide an overview of how geopolitical dynamics will influence Canadian politics and government priorities. Allyson Grant and Garry Keller also drop by to talk about what to expect from the Liberals, the Conservatives, the NDP, and the Bloc as Parliament returns.

Federal and provincial governments across Canada have been recording budget deficits for several years, which is raising concerns around their financial capacity in a time of heightened uncertainty.

Deficits and debt can get very political with opposition parties often attacking governments on their management of public finances. However, the financial market tends to look at government finances through a different lens and focuses on the ability to repay debt obligations. Credit rating agencies play an important role in this ecosystem by rating issuers.

To learn more about how credit rating agencies look at current financial situation of governments in Canada, StrategyCorp welcomed on the podcast Travis Shaw, Morningstar DBRS' Senior Vice President & Sector Lead for Global Sovereign Ratings.

The current Trump-induced uncertainty is impacting every aspect of the economy, including capital flows. When it gets harder to predict economic patterns, investors become more risk-averse and companies have a harder time accessing capital.

To get a better sense of the capital and funding landscape in Canada, the StrategyCorp Institute invited the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association on the podcast. Adriana Vega, VP of Government Affairs, and David Kornacki, Director of Data and Product, shared their insights on the trends in venture capital and private equity, and on the role government can play to support the sector.

Le retour de Donald Trump à la Maison Blanche et la mise en place de tarifs douaniers créent de nombreux défis pour les entreprises manufacturières québécoises. Les taux, la portée et même l'échéancier de ces tarifs ont changé à plusieurs reprises depuis janvier. Ces revirements de situation causent beaucoup d'incertitude pour les dirigeants d'entreprise et les travailleurs.

Afin de dresser un portrait de la situation dans le secteur manufacturier et de discuter des défis et des solutions, l'Institut de StrategyCorp a eu le plaisir d'accueillir Julie White, Présidente-directrice générale de Manufacturiers & Exportateurs du Québec, et Philippe Couillard, conseiller principal à StrategyCorp.

The first 100 days of the second Trump presidency have been a whirlwind. Between policy announcements on Truth Social, a barrage of tariffs and cuts to the civil service, the Trump White House has been moving fast and breaking things. Amid this breakneck pace, the Democrats are trying to oppose Trump on Capitol Hill while also getting ready for the 2026 mid-term elections.

Bruce Fisher, a veteran of American politics, joins the podcast to discuss how the Democrats are dealing with the Trump earthquake and preparing for the mid-term elections. He also shares his insight into how Canada should deal with Trump 2.0.

The 100th episode of Intended Consequences explores the impacts of the U.S. tariffs on economic development in Canada. Many Canadian communities are vulnerable to tariffs with Saint John (NB), Calgary and Windsor topping the list according to the U.S. Tariff Exposure Index developed by the Business Data Lab at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The Director of the Economic Development Program at the University of Waterloo, Brock Dickinson, joins the podcast to discuss how economic development is impacted by tariffs and what it could mean for sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. He shares helpful strategies local economic development officers can deploy to support companies and make their communities more resilient.