Abbreviation CBoC Legal status active Headquarters Ottawa, Canada Founded 1954 Staff 200 | Formation 1954 Region served Canada Motto Insights You Can Count On Leader Daniel Muzyka | |
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Type Political and economic think tanks based in Canada Purpose advocate and public voice, educator and network Profiles | ||
The Conference Board of Canada is a Canadian not-for-profit think tank dedicated to researching and analyzing economic trends, as well as organizational performance and public policy issues.
Contents
- Services
- Past Presidents
- Honorary Associate Award
- Recipients
- Selected publications
- Periodicals
- Plagiarism Controversy
- Racism Controversy
- References
Describing itself as "objective" and "non-partisan", the Conference Board of Canada claims not to lobby for special interests. It is funded through fees charged for services delivered to the private and public sectors alike. The organization conducts, publishes and disseminates research on various topics of interest to its members. It publishes research reports, conducts meetings, holds conferences and provides on-line information services, which aim to develop individual leadership skills and organizational capacity.
The Conference Board of Canada was established in 1954 as a division of the American National Industrial Conference Board, now simply known as The Conference Board. The Conference Board of Canada acquired a separate legal identity in 1981, and currently has over 200 employees, mostly based out of its main office in Ottawa. It is currently registered as a Canadian charitable organization, and also maintains offices in Toronto and Calgary. along with a representative in Montreal.
Daniel F. Muzyka is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Conference Board of Canada. Craig Alexander is the current Chief Economist.
Services
Past Presidents
Honorary Associate Award
The Honorary Associate Award is The Conference Board of Canada’s highest Award and is conferred upon individuals who have served both their organization and their country with distinction during their working career. This office, the term of which is life, is the only honour conferred by The Conference Board of Canada. Honorary Associates become voting members of the corporation. The Award is given on the occasion of the Conference Board’s Annual Meeting.
Recipients
Selected publications
Periodicals
Plagiarism Controversy
In May 2009, The Conference Board of Canada was criticised over its claim to be objective and non-partisan. It released a report related to copyright regulations in Canada, which plagiarised papers published by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (the primary movie, music, and software lobby in the US). The Conference Board responded, standing by its report, which drew further criticism, claiming they ignored a commissioned report, for partisan reasons. The Conference Board recalled the reports after conducting an internal review, which determined that there was undue reliance on feedback from a funder of the report. The Conference Board hosted a roundtable discussion on intellectual property in September 2009 and published a new report, Intellectual Property in the 21st Century, in February 2010.
Racism Controversy
In November 2016, a recording surfaced of Michael Bloom, the Vice-President of The Conference Board, which contained a number of racist statements. The statements targeted indigenous peoples, people of Caribbean, Asian, and middle-eastern descent. The statements were made in the presence of an employee that is of indigenous heritage. Upon learning of the racially prejudiced statements, The Conference Board of Canada placed the Vice-President on immediate leave of absence and initiated an internal investigation.
Shortly after the recording was made public, it was further revealed that a former employee commenced legal action against The Conference Board of Canada. This employee had worked under Michael Bloom and alleged a “toxic work environment.” The former employee was also of indigenous heritage. A lawsuit was filed in Ontario and sought $175,000 in damages.