Special Event: Canada'\;s Defence Industrial Strategy and Manitoba'\;s Opportunity \;
\nKeynote address by \;The Honourable Melanie Joly\, \;Minister of Industry

Join Manitoba&rsquo\;s business community on Wednesday\, March 4\, for a keynote address by the Honourable Mé\;lanie Joly\, Minister of Industry\, as she outlines Canada&rsquo\;s newly launched Defence Industrial Strategy and its implications for security\, sovereignty\, and economic growth.

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With a renewed focus on building and buying in Canada\, this strategy presents significant opportunities for domestic industry. Following the keynote\, Minister Joly will participate in a fireside conversation exploring what this means for Manitoba&rsquo\;s aerospace\, manufacturing\, Arctic access\, and supply chain capacity.

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Presented by the University of Manitoba\, this is an opportunity to hear directly from the Minister at a pivotal moment for Canada&rsquo\;s industrial future.

The Honourable Mé\;lanie Joly
\nMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
\nAhuntsic-Cartierville
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\nThe Honourable Mé\;lanie Joly was first elected to represent Ahuntsic-Cartierville in the House of Commons in 2015. \;She has previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development\, as Minister of Economic Development\, as Minister of Tourism\, Official Languages and La \;Francophonie\, and as Minister of Canadian Heritage.
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\nAs a member of Cabinet\, Minister Joly has worked to promote Canadian culture and to grow and increase the visibility of Canada&rsquo\;s tourism sector. Under her stewardship as Minister of Economic Development\, she created PacifiCan and PrairiesCan&mdash\;new Regional Development Agencies to deliver targeted\, regional investments and strengthen economic resiliency across the country.
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\nShe has also worked to safeguard Canada&rsquo\;s two official languages while promoting the use of French in Canada and around the world\, including in the digital sphere. Her advocacy for Canada&rsquo\;s official languages marked the first major reforms in 30 years.
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\nIn her most previous role as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development\, she promoted Canada&rsquo\;s interests around the world and led Canada&rsquo\;s response to Russia&rsquo\;s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. Minister Joly delivered Canada&rsquo\;s first Arctic Foreign Policy\, aimed at protecting Canada&rsquo\;s arctic sovereignty and strengthening ties with our Nordic allies and Canada&rsquo\;s Indo-Pacific Strategy\, promoting and strengthening diplomatic and economic relations in the Indo-Pacific region.
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\nWhile representing Canada on the world stage\, Minister Joly initiated the largest transformation of Global Affairs Canada\, ensuring a modernized Canadian diplomatic corps. \;
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\nPrior to entering federal politics\, Minister Joly founded the Vrai changement pour Montré\;al party and ran for mayor of Montré\;al in 2013 under its banner.
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\nMinister Joly holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the Université\; de Montré\;al and a Magister Juris in European and Comparative Law from the University of Oxford. She is the author of \;Changing the Rules of the Game\, in which she shares her vision for public policy and civic engagement. She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.