On May 3, 2023, CCBC co-hosted a breakfast seminar with Dentons as part of Dentons’ Canada-Asia Speaker Series. The event aimed to assist Canadian companies in navigating China’s challenges while taking advantage of the vast market opportunities it offers. 

 

During the seminar, a panel of experts shared their experiences and insights on various aspects of doing business in China, as well as critical sectors for collaboration. The panel acknowledged the economic role, regional footprint, and compatibility of China with the Canadian economy while emphasizing the need for Canadian businesses to acknowledge the challenges and opportunities of partnering with China. Attendees had the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and network with like-minded Canada-China business professionals, making the event a valuable resource for Canadian companies seeking to navigate the complex landscape of China’s business environment. 

 

Thank you to our speakers: Ali Amadee, Partner, Dentons; The Honourable Philippe Couillard, Senior Business Advisor, StrategyCorp; Henry Liu, Vice-President, Power Corporation of Canada; The Honourable James Moore, Senior Business Advisor, Dentons; Graham Shantz, President, Canada China Business Council.

 

 

About the speakers:

 

Ali Amadee
Partner
Dentons

 

Ali Amadee is a lawyer and partner in Dentons Canada’s Montreal office and head of Dentons Montreal’s China group. His practice focuses on corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, government relations, venture capital, technology companies as well industrial development, infrastructure and PPP projects. In addition to being viewed as a seasoned legal advisor, Mr. Amadee is also known to be a pragmatic solution-finder and a strategic advisor for his clients.

 

Mr. Amadee is particularly active in the energy transition field and heads Dentons Canada’s national practice group focused on batteries and energy storage. He has niche experience in providing legal, strategic and government relations advice to companies active in this fast-growing sector in all aspects of their establishment and expansion in North America.

 

His mandates often involve complex cross-border aspects and lead him to regularly work with his Dentons colleagues from various offices across the globe. As part of his transactional experience, Mr. Amadee has acted for buyers and sellers in various M&A deals in a variety of sectors, and has been involved in numerous infrastructure transactions and financings (including in the context of public-private partnerships). He also regularly represents either tech and emerging growth companies or investors (including VC funds) in financing and investment transactions.

 

As a true world citizen, Mr. Amadee has lived and attended university on three different continents including graduate studies in international economic law at China’s Wuhan University. With a passion for languages, Mr. Amadee is fluent in English, French and Persian and conversant in Mandarin. He is called to the bars of Québec and the State of New York.

 

Mr. Amadee is active on various boards and regularly advises business leaders on legal, geopolitical and strategic matters relating to the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and other emerging economies.

 

 

The Honourable Philippe Couillard
Senior Business Advisor
StrategyCorp

 

Born in Montreal, the Honourable Philippe Couillard received his medical degree (MD) in 1979 and completed his specialty training in neurosurgery in 1985. After 20 years of medical practice he became Quebec’s minister of health for five years, left politics in 2008, only to return as Quebec’s 31st Premier between 2014 and 2018. During his term, Mr. Couillard developed – in addition to public policy, finances, healthcare and life sciences – a strong interest in energy transition and electrification, leading to an ongoing consulting and corporate activity in these sectors.

 

He is currently a Senior Business Advisor at StrategyCorp and a Director of private and not-for-profit organizations.

 

 

Henry Liu
Vice-President
Power Corporation of Canada

 

Mr. Liu was appointed Vice-President of Power Corporation in May 2011. He oversees Power Corporation’s business development in Asia, where the company currently has a number of investments. Mr. Liu joined Power Corporation in 1995 and has since held various positions, most recently as Financial Analyst and Director of Asian Affairs. Prior to joining Power Corporation, Mr. Liu worked with China CITIC Group in Beijing.

 

He serves as a member of the board of governors for the Jiu Ding Scholarship Program dedicated to Chinese students studying in Québec. He is also actively involved in supporting the development of cultural programs to promote local Chinese communities in Canada. Mr. Liu obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Nanjing, China, earned an MBA from McGill University, and is a CFA charter holder.

 

 

The Honourable James Moore
Senior Business Advisor
Dentons

 

The Honourable James Moore is a Senior Business Advisor in Dentons’ Government group, with a focus on government affairs and public policy. Based in Vancouver, Mr. Moore provides strategic advice to clients in British Columbia, across Canada and around the world. With his deep knowledge of Canada’s business community, and his public policy background, he is a valued member of the Dentons team. Mr. Moore was recently appointed a member of Prime Minister Trudeau’s NAFTA Council.

 

Previously, Mr. Moore served as Canada’s Minister of Industry, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific Gateway and Minister for the 2010 Olympics. He served as the Senior Regional Minister for the province of British Columbia and was also Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Prosperity and Vice Chair of the Operations and Social Affairs Cabinet Committees.

 

Mr. Moore has earned an outstanding reputation over his years spent in government, most notably as Minister of Industry from 2013 to 2015, where he oversaw a wide range of Canada’s public policy decisions and led a team responsible for the Canada Space Agency, the Canada Tourism Commission, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Statistics Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation and more.

 

A Member of Parliament for 15 years, Mr. Moore has been named “One of the 50 Most Important People in Canada” by Macleans magazine, “One of Vancouver’s 50 Most Powerful” by Vancouver Magazine, and “One of the Top 25 People in the Capital” by the HillTimes newspaper. He is a past member of the Trilateral Commission and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

 

Fluently bilingual in French and English, Mr. Moore holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Northern British Columbia and a Master’s Degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Political Science. In May 2016, Mr. Moore received the honour of becoming the sixth Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia.

 

 

Graham Shantz
President
Canada China Business Council

 

Mr. Shantz served for over 25 years in Canada’s public service providing advice to Canadian governments, mainly on management of Canada’s relations with Asia. He has lived and worked for over 12 years in Asia, half of that in China. In Ottawa, Mr. Shantz has worked in senior management positions in Global Affairs Canada, the Department of Finance and the Privy Council Office. In 2000-2001 he served as Canada’s lead negotiator for Foreign Investment Protection Agreements (FIPAs) and in 1996-1997 served as deputy chief negotiator for the Canadian team during China’s WTO accession talks. Over the past decades, Mr. Shantz has been involved in numerous major bilateral visits between Canadian and Chinese leaders.

 

Mr. Shantz has served on the Board of Directors of the Asia Pacific Foundation (2013-2016) and on the Board of Directors of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (2006-2009). He served as Canada’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain (2009-2012) and ended his career in the public service in senior management positions in Global Affairs Canada’s Asia Branch.

 

A Mandarin speaker, Mr. Shantz’s pursued his interest in China while studying economics at Goshen College in Indiana. He holds an M.A. in International Affairs from Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. He also pursued language and economics studies in China, including at Beijing University and Xiamen University, under the Canada-China Scholars’ Exchange Program.