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.
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who → court → 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.
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many → obtain → 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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father → cap → UAE
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.
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that → blossom → May
Mr. Carney came back from a visit to the country last fall touting a UAE commitment to invest $70-billion in Canada.
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Carney → come → 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.
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Ottawa → deepen → States
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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countries → lean → relations
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.
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invitees → include → communities
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.
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Desmarais → list → Sustainable
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.
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representatives → include → Graphite
Victor Dodig, recently appointed chief executive of Telus Corp., was also listed, as was Éric Martel, chief executive of Bombardier Inc.
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Martel → appoint → Corp.
Members of the tech industry were invited, including Joelle Pineau, chief AI officer at Cohere, and Valérie Pisano, chief executive of Mila.
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Members → invite → 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.
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investors → include → Capital
Gurinder Grewal, named chief executive of Invest in Canada on Aug. 31, was also on the list.
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Grewal → name → 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.
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members → list → staff
Many of the Emiratis who were invited work for the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court.
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who → invite → 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.
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who → list → 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.
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that → base → 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.
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who → invite → board
The full list obtained by The Globe is below.
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list → obtain → Globe
The Aporia
