Prior to joining Gluskin Sheff in 2009, Mr. Rosenberg was Chief North American Economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in New York and prior thereto, he was a Senior Economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns and Bank of Nova Scotia.  From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Rosenberg was ranked first in economics in the Brendan Wood International Survey for Canada, ranked second overall in the 2008 Institutional Investors Survey for the U.S., and was on the Institutional Investor All American All Star Team from 2005-2008. Mr. Rosenberg also ranked 4^thout of 104 economists in the 2009 Thomson-Extel survey of global portfolio managers.

He has made several TV appearances and his articles feature regularly in all the major financial and business newspapers/journals. He is a guest columnist for Globe Investor and Report On Business.

Mr. Rosenberg received both a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Toronto.

The strength of Canada is not based solely on its economy, but rather a combination of elements that when compiled together give Canada a tremendous advantage.  A recent study by Newsweek Magazine, has ranked the world’s countries based on five different factors: education, health, quality of life, economic dynamism and political environment.  Based on this study, Canada is ranked seventh in the world and the only North American country to crack the top ten.  This is an exemplary feat even without the difficulties of the past couple of years. To find out more, check out the interactive study on the Newsweek website.

A principle commentator and associate editor of the Independent, he is author of “The World in 2020″, which has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He was named Business and Finance Journalist of the Year in 2006 at the British Press Awards and broadcasts regularly on the BBC.  His most recent publication in January 2010 entitled “What Works”, examines best business practices of firms from around the world as they weathered the economic downturn. 

We’re extremely confident Hamish McRae will set the right tone for OES as we undertake to determine what we in Ontario need to do to ensure competitiveness and prosperity for the next decade and beyond.

Taking the plunge into new markets can be risky for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and it can be difficult to find the resources necessary to make the expansion. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has developed a program, Export Market Access (EMA), with funding from the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada to help SME’s export to new markets and expand within current markets. Since its inception in 2008, the program has helped over 220 companies and given out over 2.3 million dollars.

EMA helps with some of the costs associated with reaching new export markets in four categories: direct contact, marketing tools, market research and foreign bidding projects. The contributions made by the EMA program make it possible for many SME’s to launch themselves into markets that would otherwise be unattainable.

Making these export markets available allows for a stronger more stable customer base for these SME’s. If we continue to invest in business within the province, the Ontario economy will emerge stronger and more diverse. For more information on the EMA program, please visit the website at www.exportaccess.ca.

A recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal by Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, focused on this lesson by emphasizing that trade barriers are a key concern that have the real potential to prolong the recession. The article: Don’t Go Wobbly on Trade – Barriers to commerce are a surefire way to prolong the recession states, “A more interdependent Global economy means that a downturn in one country translates more rapidly to a downturn elsewhere,” but the good news is, “with the global production chain more interlinked than ever before, we all benefit more quickly and more directly from a pick up in global trading flows.”

I say let’s all win together.