Canada was built on Entrepreneurship.   

But last April the Montreal Economic Institute issued a warning:  

The number of self-employed Canadians with paid help—the businesses most likely to scale, hire, challenge incumbents, and help grow GDP— peaked some time ago at approximately 867,000 in 2005.  

By 2025, that number had fallen to 716,000, a drop of nearly 18 percent—despite population growth of over 9 million over that same time period.  

Self-employment accounted for roughly 16 per cent of total employment in Canada at the start of the 2000s but this fell to 11 per cent by 2025.  

In per capita terms, about one in 37 Canadians was an entrepreneur back in 2005, compared to only one in 58 Canadians by last year.   

The Hub, another think tank, mirrored the concerns.  They point to research that says between 2015 and 2024, annual business formation in Canada was essentially flat.   

Worse Federal industrial regulatory requirements grew 37 percent between 2006 and 2021, before counting in the effect of provincial and municipal rules.   

And against that backdrop is the demographic reality, that succession is in full swing in Canada – just when we need new entrepreneurs to take over small businesses, there is a real dearth of them.   

In fact, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says that Canada is experiencing a historic "entrepreneurial drought" where business closures outpace new entries. At the exact same time, a "succession tsunami" is hitting the economy as an aging generation of owners prepares to exit.  

So to help us embellish on this topic today is our friend Dan Kelly.

Dan Kelly is CFIB’s President and CEO and, in this role, is the lead spokesperson and advocate for the views of the organization’s 103,000 members. In 2015, Dan was named one of the “Top 100 most powerful and influential people in government and politics” by Power & Influence Magazine, and he is regularly featured on lists of Canada’s top lobbyists. Dan is a regular speaker in Canada and around the world on topics such as international trade, the payments industry, and skills and labour shortages.  Dan started his CFIB career in 1994 as a Policy Analyst in his hometown of Winnipeg. Before becoming President of the CFIB and relocating to Toronto in 2012, Dan served as CFIB’s Senior Vice-President of Legislative Affairs based in Ottawa. While in Ottawa, Dan focused on the need for major changes in the payments industry and drafted the first version of Canada’s Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry. Over the course of 2020 and 2021, Dan led CFIB’s 400 staff in supporting small businesses through endless lockdowns and COVID restrictions.  The CFIB took 150,000 calls from small business owners at that time and Dan personally did over 3000 media interviews. 

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Today we are talking about how investors can best manage the crisis to come as a result of the volatile global disruptions we find ourselves in. 

What should the average investor and taxpayer be thinking about as they are affected by the extremely volatile daily news about their economy, their livelihoods and their capacity to fund future savings for their retirements?

Mark Taucar holds the CFA, RWM designations and is a  Canadian Portfolio Manager who leads investment strategy at Accilent Capital Management.   He has built discretionary referral platforms for leading portfolio managers and their clients.    

Nicolas Johnson is Vice President, Business Development at Pavilion Flow-Through Fund whose Corporate Parent is Accilent Capital Management.  He has worked for over 12 years in financial journalism at Bloomberg News in Europe and Asia, plus had a stint at The Globe and Mail in Toronto.  He has been cited in Canada’s House of Commons and Senate, and often quoted by media including The Economist, CBC News, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Toronto Sun, and CTV News. 

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Today we are talking about a new initiative coming soon to taxpayers across Canada from their tax department the Canada Revenue Agency: Automatic Tax Filing.  

This is an initiative that has the potential to substantially alter our self-assessment system of taxation. The plan is for Automatic Tax Filing, to begin in earnest in 2027, if the government’s proposals get Royal Assent, which is expected. The government will then initiate a pilot project in the fall of 2026. 

CRA will have the discretionary authority to fill in and file a tax return for an identified individual. This new system is aimed at getting more government benefits like the Canada Child Benefit or new Groceries and Essentials Benefit out to low or nil income Canadians with simple returns.  

By March of 2029, for the 2028 tax return, it’s anticipated that 5.5 Million returns will be filed for eligible individuals.  

Gillian Petit is a  Ph.D. in Economics, Department of Economics, at the University of Calgary, who has a  Juris Doctorate, Faculty of Law, and an MA in Economics from Queen’s University. She is currently a Post-Doctoral Researcher and Senior Research Associate, Department of Economics, University of Calgary and has recently written an important paper for the Institute for Research on Public Policy Entitled, Automatic Tax Filing: Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do. 

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Enter alternative assets—a diverse array of investment opportunities spanning private equity, real estate, cryptocurrencies, renewable energy projects, and collectibles. These assets are increasingly accessible to retail investors now.  And we have a special guest that can help us understand alternatives better today Geoff.  Today we’ll drill down deeper with my friend Aaron Dubnicoff of Arrow Capital Management Inc. 

Aaron Dubnicoff is the Managing Director of Sales at Arrow Capital Management Inc. where he has been educating investors and their advisors for the last five years on the challenges of navigating a complex global economic environment.  He is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg.

Arrow Capital Management Inc. is registered as an Investment Fund Manager and Portfolio Manager. The information discussed in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees, and expenses may all be associated with mutual fund and alternative fund investments. Please read the applicable prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. Alternative investments and liquid alternative strategies may involve leverage, short selling, and other investment practices that involve special risks. Investors should consult with their financial advisor to determine if any investment is suitable for their particular circumstances before making any investment decision. Arrow Capital Management Inc. is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. For more information, visit www.arrow-capital.com

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Women are highly successful business owners and entrepreneurs, often outperforming men in areas like revenue generation and job growth. Women focus on sustainable, long-term growth and high-efficiency teams, even while overcoming significant obstacles in securing venture capital funding.  

Most importantly, as of 2023, women controlled an estimated $60 trillion in assets under management (AUM), and that is equal to about 34 percent of global AUM.  

Yet financial services firms are only now starting to recognize the unique goals and preferences of female investors and that’s the subject of our conversation today.  To help us understand these issues we have a very special guest today, my friend, Esther Findlay

Esther Findlay is the SVP, Business Development for Western Canada and Chair of IG Women, Wealth & Wellbeing. 

In this role, she leads business development strategies across Western Canada while championing programs that support women’s financial confidence, wellness, and long-term success.

She previously served as SVP for IG’s national Planning Specialist Network leading Insurance and Estate Planning Specialists and Mortgage Planning Specialists and as President and UDP of IG Securities.

Esther joined IG Wealth Management in 1990 and has held progressive leadership roles across Western Canada, earning distinctions including the Master Director Award. She is also a recipient of Wealth Professional’s Women of Influence Award and two Heart Truth awards from the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

She holds a Business Administration diploma and the Chartered Financial Planner (CFP), Personal Financial Planner (PFP), and Registered Retirement Consultant (RRC) designations.

Married to Keith Findlay, CPA and proud mother of Jonaus and Noah.

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Larry Frostiak provides business and tax advice to owner-managed enterprises, including financial and wealth management services to assist clients in building “tax-efficient” business and corporate structures. Larry also specializes in providing clients with estate and trust services. He is a founding partner of Frostiak & Leslie Chartered Professional Accountants Inc. and was elected a fellow of the Manitoba Institute of Chartered Accountants. He holds the FCPA, FCA, CFP, TEP, RWM™, FDFS™ credentials. He is also the bestselling author of Master Your Investment in the Family Business, published by Knowledge Bureau. 

Today we are talking about a very important topic for all families in an aging population – wealth transition planning. It’s more difficult than you may think and older generations – the boomers, the Gen Xers and their adult children – may not be having clear or timely enough discussions. This has personal implications, but also tax implications.    

So let’s unpack this!

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Michael Flux is a wealth advisor at Connor, Clark and Lunn Private Capital with 23 years of experience working with clients in helping them make strategic philanthropic decisions. He is a CFA, CFP, and an MFA-P. 

·        What are the benefits of philanthropy for you, your clients and the advisors               you work with?

·        Can anyone be a philanthropist? 

·        How do you open your conversation with your clients about philanthropy -               with tax or philanthropic giving? 

·        What are Donor-Advised Funds and why are they so popular?

·        What are other ways to give?

·        People who are more intentional about their giving tend to give more, and               more frequently.  How can giving be better planned and democratized?

·        What does success look like in your view?

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The most common question people have when thinking about their retirement is “Will I have enough?” But reframing that question to “How Much is Enough” can help people focus the process of getting to their ideal number and then discover a new chapter that begins with “What is the Purpose of this Wealth? That’s why Mastering Your Retirement early in life is so important. 

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Heading into 2026, there are huge financial concerns for Canadian family small business owners:  persistent cost pressures, a shifting political and economic landscape, and the urgent need for leadership transition.

Some would say, in the negative that Canada risks losing control over its economy if the transition of small businesses “the silver tsunami” doesn’t go well.  Some would call it a succession crisis with over $2 Trillion in business assets at risk over the next decade.  

·        What are the key risks of these external environment factors?

·        Are there opportunities?

·        What are some of the key areas that business leaders should be focusing on?

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Don’t you think it’s time for a major tax reform to remove economically damaging high marginal tax rates on middle and upper income earners?  Raise your awareness about the powerful tax policies that could raise your standards of living. 

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