Keynote Speaker:
Don Drummond
Senior Vice President and Chief Economist
TD Bank Financial Group
Don Drummond was born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, where he graduated from the University of Victoria. He subsequently received his M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University.
Mr. Drummond joined the federal Department of Finance upon completing his studies at Queen’s. During almost 23 years at Finance, Mr. Drummond held a series of progressively more senior positions in the areas of economic analysis and forecasting, fiscal policy and tax policy. His last three positions were respectively, Assistant Deputy Minister of Fiscal Policy & Economic Analysis, Assistant Deputy Minister of Tax Policy & Legislation and most recently, Associate Deputy Minister. In this latter position Mr. Drummond was responsible for economic analysis, fiscal policy, tax policy, social policy and federal-provincial relations. In particular, Mr. Drummond coordinated the planning of the annual federal budgets.
Mr. Drummond joined the TD Bank in June 2000 as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. Mr. Drummond leads TD Economics’ work in analyzing and forecasting economic performance in Canada and abroad. For Canada, this work is conducted at the city, provincial, industrial and national levels. TD Economics also analyzes the key policies which influence economic performance, including monetary and fiscal policies.
Mr. Drummond travels widely across Canada and abroad, speaking to TD clients and various groups about the Canadian economy and its prospects and he is frequently quoted by the media on economic and policy issues.
Emcee:
Carla Robinson
Host, First People’s Edition of Absolutely Canadian
CBC Newsworld
Carla Robinson anchors the First People’s edition of Absolutely Canadian on CBC Newsworld. Robinson also hosts CBC’s monthly educational program, News in Review, which is sent out to subscribers in various school districts and public library systems. In addition, she anchors CBC Newsworld’s afternoon newscasts.
Robinson started at CBC Newsworld in 1998 from British Columbia where she was a reporter for CBC’s Midday. She also produced and reported for CBC’s native current affairs series All My Relations. Previously, Robinson was a local reporter for BCTV News and the host of a weekly current affairs program on Rogers Cable called Pressure Point.
Robinson has written for national magazines such as Aboriginal Voices, The Rez and Dreamspeaker, a quarterly newsletter for First Nations communities. She has also worked for several government departments, including Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and has taught disadvantaged Native youth for Junior Achievement Stay In School.
She has earned several awards for her work, including the 1995 Norman Jewison Award for Journalism for Native Canadians.
Robinson studied Mass Communications at Carleton University and received an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario.
Raised in the northern coastal communities of Kitamaat and Bella Bella, British Columbia, Robinson is a member of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations. She lives in Brantford, Ontario with her husband and two children.