A group of leaders from across Canada spent some time in Steinbach earlier this week.
Seventeen delegates from the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference had the opportunity to tour Loewen and then meet with the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce.
Jessica Perritt is Co-Chair of the event. She says each Governor General, during their term, brings together leaders from across Canada to think about what the future looks like from a leadership perspective. Perritt says under Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, there is a total of 215 leaders travelling across Canada. She notes the 17 who visited Steinbach are in Manitoba, exploring what sustainable prosperity looks like from a leadership perspective.
"We're fortunate to be able to visit Steinbach and learn about the work that's happening here and learn from businesses and local governments," says Perritt. "The idea is to bring together leaders from different sectors, from different perspectives, to really explore and be in dialogue together about what does this leadership look like in our own work and how we bring that back with that kind of variety of perspectives."
Why Steinbach?
Adam Gerhard is the Regional Co-Chair of the conference. He says the tour is designed to expose emerging leaders to a wide variety of sectors and organizations in order to get a broad experience of leadership. The theme of this year's conference is Building Canada's Sustainable Prosperity.
Gerhard says the group is spending 10 days in Manitoba, and they want to make sure they get a wide and representative experience.
"Steinbach is an important engine of the provincial economy and a very vibrant and diverse community, so spending some time in Steinbach fits very well and provides an important perspective," says Gerhard. "Steinbach has a lot to offer Canada, and we are excited to have the participants spend some time in your community."
Following the tour at Loewen, Perritt referred to the window manufacturing plant as "super impressive." She calls it an unspoken gem, which a lot of people in Manitoba probably do not know about.
"I visit Manitoba often for work. I drive past Steinbach a lot on the highway," she says. "But I think coming into the community, even just seeing the amount of business and prosperity within the town as well, is quite impressive."
Perritt, who lives north of Toronto, is Vice President of Indigenous Municipal and Transportation Relations at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.
Perritt says an experience like this helps delegates think beyond their bubbles.
"Thinking beyond maybe the cities or towns that we're working in, and seeing what else is happening, and how people are playing into not only the national market but also the global market," she adds. "And how Canada as a nation builds its own sustainable future that's prosperous, grounded in equity, grounded in rights, grounded in equality, and making sure that we're all thriving as a nation."
Leadership tour takes delegates from Quebec to Manitoba to Ontario
The Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference started in Quebec last weekend. Perritt says delegates had the opportunity to meet with national leaders from many different sectors, looking at leadership from economic, ethical, security, and Indigenous rights perspectives. As mentioned, the group is now spending 10 days in our province. Their schedule included a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anita Neville and stops at both the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, before heading north for Churchill. Perritt says that while in Northern Manitoba, they will explore national security and trade.
"Which will be really fascinating," she says. "I think a lot of the group is excited to see kind of that aspect of Manitoba, which I don't think a lot of people are fortunate to see."
After their visit ends in Manitoba, the group will travel to Ottawa to share what they have learned. Perritt says they will present back to the Governor General.
"In a world where misinformation is spreading faster than ever, democratic trust is being tested, and the global rules of engagement are being rewritten in real time," says Gerhard. "This moment demands leadership that is clear-eyed and courageous, leadership that can rebuild trust, strengthen civil discourse, and bring people together across differences."
