DEPUTY PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND ATTENDS BILDERBERG MEETING
DEPUTY PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND ATTENDS BILDERBERG MEETING
CANADIAN TAX PAYERS FUNDING UNSUPERVISED MEETING WITH 120 OF THE WORLDS MOST INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUALS; 4 OF THEM FROM CANADA
The 68th Bilderberg Meeting is underway which will see roughly 120 global elites from 21 countries converge on Washington, DC. The meeting is being held from June 2 - 5 in which the political leaders and experts of industry will discuss a variety of issues. The Bilderberg Meeting is characterized as, “a forum for informal discussions about major issues.” Interestingly, these political leaders, and experts of finance, academia, labour and media must abide by strict rules of secrecy. Bilderberg Press Release
This years meeting is hosting 5 Canadians, which gives us insight into who the major players are for our country in global-elite circles. In my previous article, I gave a rundown of how the Bilderberg Group operates at their meetings, as well as highlighting Canada’s sole Steering Committee Co-Chair — Mark Carney — who wields significant influence at the annual Meetings on behalf of Canada. If you are not familiar with the Bilderberg Group, I have included a link to the article.
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland
Freeland was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre in July, 2013. She was elected as Member of Parliament for University—Rosedale in October, 2015 and re-elected in October, 2019. From 2015 to 2017, Ms. Freeland served as Canada's Minister of International Trade, overseeing the successful negotiation of Canada's free trade agreement with the European Union, CETA. From January, 2017 to November, 2019, she served as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. As Foreign Minister, she led and successfully concluded the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In November, 2019, Ms. Freeland was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. In this capacity, she led Canada’s united response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was appointed Minister of Finance in August, 2020. Freeland has also been given a spot on the World Economic Forum’s Board of Trustees. She is the only elected official to occupy a position on the board. Interestingly, her position on the World Economic Forum Board of Trustees is omitted from her bio on the Government of Canada website. The Honourable Chrystia Freeland. Chrystia Freeland | World Economic Forum.
Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland is attending the Bilderberg Meeting as a participant. Presumably, her trip is being funded by the Canadian tax payer, as there is a private subscription cost participants must pay to attend the annual Meeting. GOVERNANCE AND FUNDING.
The Bilderberg Meeting is a forum for political leaders and experts in their respective fields to discuss how to tackle issues facing the world. The politicians and tycoons of finance, academia, labour, and media, cannot disclose much about the meeting, if anything at all, as a result of the Chatham House Rule. “Participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s) nor any other participant may be revealed.” press release. Usually, when politicians and industry leaders come together to discuss solutions to national or international issues there are strict guidelines governing their interactions to ensure there are no unethical dealings that occur. This is intended to maintain public trust that global elites are not acting nefariously and serving their own special interests. That is not the case at the Bilderberg Meetings, meaning that Freeland will be interacting with some of the most rich and powerful individuals on the planet with no oversight and no transparency.
Deputy Prime Minister Freeland will have the opportunity to have unregulated discussion with people like Albert Bourla – CEO of Pfizer Inc., William J. Burns – Director of the CIA, members of the media Zanny Minton Beddoes, Anne Applebaum, John Micklethwait – The Economist/The Atlantic/Bloomberg, Jens Stoltenberg – Secretary General of NATO, Mark Carney – Vice Chair of Brookfield Asset Management, Borge Brende – President of the World Economic Forum, and many other influential figures. STEERING COMMITTEE & Participants. Freeland has unfettered, unsupervised access to roughly 120 of the most powerful individuals in the world, in which participants engage in “discussion on a wide range of topics - from trade to jobs to technology, from monetary policy to investment and from ecological challenges to the task of promoting international security.” brief history. Canada’s role on the world stage will undoubtedly be influenced by the Meetings taking place behind closed doors in Washington, DC. The agenda for this year’s meeting has been tabled to include:
1. Geopolitical Realignments
2. NATO Challenges
3. China
4. Indo-Pacific Realignment
5. Sino-US Tech Competition
6. Russia
7. Continuity of Government and the Economy
8. Disruption of the Global Financial System
9. Disinformation
10. Energy Security and Sustainability
11. Post Pandemic Health
12. Fragmentation of Democratic Societies
13. Trade and Deglobalisation
14. Ukraine
Other notable Canadians attending are Mark Little — CEO of Suncor Energy Inc., Charles Emond — CEO of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), Mark Carney — Vice Chair of Brookfield Asset Management & Co-Chair of the Bilderberg Meeting, and Tobias Lütke — CEO of Shopify.
Carney, Mark J. (CAN), Vice Chair, Brookfield Asset Management
Mark Carney, current Vice Chair of Brookfield Asset Management. Mark Carney is Canada’s only Co-Chair, giving him tremendous sway when it comes to Canadian economic and political influence within the Bilderberg Meeting. Carney is a Canadian economist and banker who served as Governor of the Bank of Canada following the economic collapse of 2008, until 2013. In 2013, he accepted the position of Governor of the Bank of England, a position he held until 2020 when he became the Vice Chair and Head of Impact Investing at Canadian multinational investment management company, Brookfield Asset Management. Mark Carney | Brookfield. Brookfield Asset Management has US$725 billion of assets under management, as of 2021, and has been headed by CEO Bruce Flatt, “Canada’s Warren Buffet”, since 2002. As you would expect, Brookfield Asset Management has some high profile stockholders. Aside from Brookfield Management Pic Canada LP being the largest stockholder in their own asset management firm, Canada’s big three banks make the top 10 owners list – TD Asset Management, RBC Global Asset Management, and BMO Asset Management, as well as the infamous Vanguard Group, who have about US$7 trillion in global assets as of 2021. Vanguard.
BAM - Brookfield Asset Management Inc Forecast - CNNMoney.com
There appears to be some incestuous investment activity going on between Vanguard Group, one of the worlds largest investment firms, and Canada’s largest investment firm Brookfield Asset Management. Within Brookfield Asset Management’s top 10 Mutual Fund Holdings are Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Investor Shares and Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund Admiral Shares.
BAM - Brookfield Asset Management Inc Forecast - CNNMoney.com
Emond, Charles (CAN), CEO, CDPQ
Charles Emond, current President and Chief Executive Officer of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), is responsible for the strategic direction of CDPQ and the global growth of the organization. Before joining CDPQ in February 2019, Mr. Emond worked for nearly 20 years at Scotia Bank and Scotia Capital, where he held the positions of Executive Vice-President, Financial Affairs, Head of Canadian Corporate Banking and Global Head, Investment Banking and Capital Markets. Charles Emond | CDPQ. CDPQ is a global investment group present in all major markets with 420 billion Canadian dollars in assets and offices in ten countries. They are also responsible for managing several public and parapublic pension plans and insurance programs in Quebec. About us | CDPQ. Their website states, “We manage the funds of 46 depositor groups. Most are pension plans and public and parapublic insurance plans which, together, pay out benefits to more than two million Quebecers each year.”
A complete list of all depositors can be found at:
https://www.cdpq.com/sites/default/files/medias/pdf/en/ra/2021_annual_report.pdf#page=30
CDPQ investments are extensive, however their top 10 holdings are not surprising. Interestingly, they have purchased 684 000 shares in Vanguard Communication Services ETF Etf (RSP) for $108 million. This holding accounts for only 0.3% of their portfolio weight, nevertheless, it is worth noting that Vanguard is present within their holdings. It seems that all big investment and asset management firms have ties with The Vanguard Group or one of its many subsidiaries.
Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec 13F filings and top holdings and stakes - stockzoa
Little, Mark (CAN), President and CEO, Suncor Energy Inc.
Mark Little is president and chief executive officer of Suncor Energy Inc. Mark joined Suncor in 2008 as senior vice president, Strategic Growth and Energy Trading before becoming the senior vice president of integration following Suncor’s merger with Petro‑Canada. Mark has also served as senior vice president, International and Offshore; executive vice president, Oil Sands; executive vice president Upstream; president, Upstream; and chief operating officer. Mark Little – President & Chief Executive Officer | Suncor. Suncor is ranked as the 252nd-largest public company in the world in the Forbes Global 2000; did $31.2 billion in sales last year, profiting $3.3 billion. Suncor Energy. Similarly to Brookfield Asset Management, Suncor has high profile stockholders. Two of Canada’s big banks TD Asset Management, RBC Global Asset Management Inc./RBC Dominion Securities Inc., as well as the infamous Vanguard Group. Vanguard.
SU - Suncor Energy Inc Shareholders - CNNMoney.com
As we saw with Brookfield Asset Management, there appears to be some incestuous investment activity going on between Vanguard Group, and Suncor Energy. Within Suncor Energy’s top 10 Mutual Fund Holdings are Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Investor Shares and Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund Admiral Shares.
SU - Suncor Energy Inc Shareholders - CNNMoney.com
Lütke, Tobias (CAN), CEO, Shopify
Tobi Lütke is the co-founder and CEO of Shopify, a Canadian e-commerce firm that helps companies set up and run online stores. He began developing the e-commerce platform after he and a friend tried to open an online snowboard shop but couldn't find decent software. He founded Shopify in 2004. Shopify had $4.6 billion in 2021 sales; it is used by some two million businesses, including Kylie Cosmetics, Allbirds and Rothy's. Unlike Suncor and Brookfield Asset Management, Shopify’s top 10 stockholders do not include Canadian banks. That being said, Shopify has some serious backing from the world's largest asset management firms – Capital Research & Management, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and once again, the infamous Vanguard Group, who have about US$7 trillion in global assets as of 2021. Vanguard.
SHOP - Shopify Inc Shareholders - CNNMoney.com
As we saw with Brookfield Asset Management and Suncor Energy, there appears to be reciprocal investment activity going on between Vanguard Group, and Shopify. This also appears to be the case with Morgan Stanley and Shopify. Within Shopify’s top 10 Mutual Fund Holdings are Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Investor Shares, Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund Admiral Shares, Vanguard US Growth Fund, as well as Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Inc Growth.
SHOP - Shopify Inc Shareholders - CNNMoney.com
The Vanguard Group most certainly plays a role in the Bilderberg Meetings given their US$7 trillion in assets owned globally, are top 10 stockholders in all three Canadian businesses attending this year's Meeting. They own a total 66 797 680 shares between two of Canada’s largest companies — Suncor Energy & Shopify — and our largest asset management firm — Brookfield Asset Management.
Similarly, all Canadian entities attending, besides Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, are invested in Vanguard’s subsidiaries. Correlation does not equal causation, however, it begs the question – just how much influence does the Vanguard Group have on Canada? And how much influence will they be able to exert on Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland at the Bilderberg Meeting? Unfortunately there is no oversight at the Meeting as a result of an oath of secrecy. That being said, the Bilderberg Group is beginning to provide insight on who influences policy makers by providing partial lists of attendees. It will be interesting to see if the Government of Canada enacts any policy decisions that present a conflict of interest as a result of these entities attending the same secret meeting. It will also be interesting to see if the Government of Canada acknowledges having sent the Deputy PM to participate in the meeting.