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Rachel Curran

MODERATOR

Head of Public Policy, Meta Canada

Rachel Curran is a lawyer by training, and has nearly 15 years of experience in public affairs, including extensive experience providing strategic and policy advice to the Prime Minister of Canada and federal and provincial Cabinet ministers.

As Director of Policy to the Prime Minister, Rachel was closely engaged in all matters involving the federal government, including foreign and defence policy, trade negotiations, economic affairs, immigration, transportation, energy and the environment, indigenous affairs, social development and intergovernmental relations. She was directly responsible for setting and implementing the government’s policy agenda over the course of four years, and oversaw all major governmental initiatives including the preparation of the annual federal budget.

At the provincial level, as Chief of Staff and advisor to two senior Cabinet ministers, Rachel provided advice on a range of political, policy and legislative issues related to public safety, including law enforcement, residential tenancy, consumer protection, automobile insurance, road safety, gaming, liquor licensing and distribution, and provincial emergency management.

Rachel currently works for Meta Canada as Head of Public Policy. Over the last six years, Rachel has worked as a senior associate with Harper & Associates Ltd., an international consulting firm led by former Prime Minister Harper, and as an instructor at Carleton University’s Riddell Program in Political Management. She also appeared as a regular panelist and commentator on CBC’s Power & Politics, and was a recurring contributor to the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s Policy Options magazine.

The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy

SPEAKER

Ontario’s Minister of Finance

Peter Bethlenfalvy is Ontario’s Minister of Finance. He was elected as MPP for Pickering—Uxbridge in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. As Minister of Finance, he is responsible for the management of the province’s finances and building the environment for long-term economic prosperity.

Throughout COVID-19, Minister Bethlenfalvy provided the supports Ontario families, workers, and businesses needed through the pandemic. Now, with Premier Ford, he is working to Get It Done for our health care system, communities, and economy to ensure they are stronger than ever before.

Prior to entering public service, Minister Bethlenfalvy served in senior leadership roles for several financial institutions including as President and Chief Operating Officer of TD Securities (USA) and Co-President of DBRS.

He has served on the Board of Directors for many charitable organizations. In 2014, he joined the True Patriot Love Expedition to the magnetic North Pole in support of Canadian military families.

He holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from McGill University which included a year at the HEC School of Management, Paris, and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto.