Canada - Pakistan Business Council

As president of the Business Council I would like to thank all the directors, advisors, members, partners and supporters for achieving the most successful year in the Council’s history. We have completed twenty-two years since the first Board of Directors met in 1983. Although the Council was registered in Montreal in 1981, the major activities began in 1983.

I am honoured to announce that the Royal Bank of Canada is now the Corporate Sponsor of the Business Council. We also have Sattar & Sattar as “Gold”, Par-Pak, Midas Safety and Flying Colours International as “Silver” sponsors. Tri-vision Electronics is our patron sponsor whereas Trade Wind Associates, Garfinkle Biderman, SNC-Lavalin and Best Homes are the sponsors for “Friends of the Business Council” category. Their generous support has enabled us to operate an office with a part time administrative assistant.

CPBC now has a chapter in Pakistan with secretariats in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. To facilitate the bilateral trade and provide the members with maximum networking opportunities, CPBC partners with “Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters”, “Royal Commonwealth Advantage”, “International Chamber of Commerce”, and “The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce”. CPBC has also formed an alliance with various South Asian Business organizations known as “SABCA”.

I am pleased to highlight the following events of our fiscal year, July 1st, 2004 to June 30th, 2005.

September 2004:

BDC hosted a luncheon for a selected group of Business Council members to welcome Mr. Saifullah Chattha, the newly appointed Trade Commissioner and Consul General of Pakistan in Montreal. The same evening, all members along with distinguished politicians and members of the community were invited to a reception hosted by CPBC.

CPBC hosted a reception at the Toronto Cricket Club in honour of the visiting Parliamentarians of Pakistan, headed by the Chairman of the Senate, Mr. Mohammad Mian Soomro. The delegation also included the speaker of the National Assembly. The event was attended by over 120 distinguished members of the community, politicians and businessmen.

CPBC hosted a luncheon in honour of Mr. Ali Raza, the president of the National Bank of Pakistan at the Bayview Country Club. National Bank is planning to open its subsidiary soon in Canada. The event was attended by approximately 80 guests, which included politicians and leading businessmen.
November 2004: Mr. Javed Jabbar, a former Information Minister and Senator of Pakistan spoke at a reception hosted in his honour by CPBC, where he shared his in-depth knowledge of the political, economical and historical facts of Pakistan. Several journalists, community leaders, Business Council members and friends were among the 75 guests present.
December 2004: CPBC held its Annual General Meeting followed by a reception. Several directors and members were present. The fiscal accounts and membership status were reported and discussed along with the future direction for the Council.
February 2005: CPBC participated with twelve delegates in a trade mission “Expo 2005”, organized by the Government of Pakistan (please see details and the report on our website).
April 2005:

Some members of the Council participated in the discussion to promote Canada’s trade with South Asia, organized by Sri Lanka Business Council, at the “Ontario Exports Auditorium”.

Andy Merchant represented CPBC at the three-day conference organized by “Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters” in Halifax. An exclusive interactive session with the delegates was facilitated for one afternoon to promote business with Pakistan.
May 2005:

CPBC celebrated its 22nd anniversary at the House of Commons and presented awards to its sponsors. Approximately 200 distinguished guests from the business community and politicians attended this event. As speakers, the High Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr. Shahid Malik and the former High Commissioner of Canada, Mr. Ferry de Kerckhove shared their views on the political situation and economic relationships between Canada and Pakistan as well as the opportunities to enhance the bilateral trade. The event at the parliament building was facilitated by Hon. Jim Karygiannis, Member of Parliament.

CPBC’s directors and some members attended the Luncheon with Hon. Steven Harper, Leader of the Opposition in the Federal Parliament, at the Metro Convention Centre, which was hosted in conjunction with SABCA (South Asia Business Council Alliance).
June 2005: A joint annual dinner between CPBC and Royal Commonwealth Society was held at the Bayview Country Club. Approximately 250 guests participated. Mr. Mushtaq Chhapra, a director of the Citizens’ Foundation, who flew in specially from Pakistan, was the key note speaker at the dinner. TCF had made presentation in Washington, USA and in the House of Commons, England. They currently have over 225 schools across Pakistan. The High Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr. Shahid Malik also spoke about the importance of education and the good work being done by the NGOs. Approximately $175 thousand dollars have been raised so far towards the education program in lieu of this event. The net proceeds from the dinner in the amount of five thousand dollars were presented to Mr. Chhapra on behalf of CPBC and RCS.

I look forward to your continued support, and with your help, wish to raise the bar to promote the activities of the Business Council.