November 29, 2022
“What’s Missing in our Global Discourse?” with Mr. Peter Hall, Chief Economist – Econosphere
Diplomats, parliamentarians, business leaders and their guests were invited to begin celebrating the Christmas season by enjoying a festive meal, live seasonal music and inspirational keynote speaker Peter Hall.
Chaos seems to be the default descriptor of this moment in history. Much of what we considered ‘normal’ was brought to a grinding halt by the global pandemic. This hit us amid a period of sub-standard growth that dates all the way back to 2008. That, plus other intervening events gave rise to widespread populist uprisings – manifest in different ways in many countries. Such a backdrop has made for equally gloomy forecasts.
Leading pundits foresee a world where multiple forces will lead to more unpredictable events with severe consequences, and that we need to expect them and attempt to prepare for their regular onset. Are they correct? Is there any room for optimism about our near-term future, let alone the longer-horizon view?
This is a discussion that challenges mainstream wisdom and highlights two critical elements that are almost entirely absent from today’s policy, strategic and social discourse.
Video Transcript:
Warm greetings to your Excellencies, members of the diplomatic corps, members of Parliament, distinguished guests from the business world and friends of the Christian Embassy. I’m Peter Hall, Chief Economist of Econosphere Inc., a firm that provides strategic advice to businesses across Canada. In my former role as chief economist at Export Development Canada, I was in frequent contact with many of you and with those who preceded you in your diplomatic and parliamentary roles.
I am delighted to be this year’s keynote speaker at the Christian Embassy’s 39th Christmas Dinner event in Ottawa on November 29. I sincerely hope you will be able to join us for an evening of inspiration and insight.
As we wind up our activities this year and look forward to the coming year, we could all be forgiven for being more than a little nervous about what the future holds. Some say that the world is currently so chaotic that it’s not possible to see forward far enough to forecast anything. We are “in between” the end of the pandemic and the return to a normally-functioning economy.
However, it could be argued that the economy has been “in between” since the global financial crisis of 2008-09. In our confusion and frustration, we have lost sight of two critical elements of life – elements of economic life, political life, family life and personal life. How could things have come to a point where essentials like this aren’t even in our current discourse?
I’m looking forward to discussing this with you on November 29 at the Christian Embassy dinner. In the meantime, I wish you and your loved ones all the best as you close off the year and head into the holiday season.
The Christmas dinner was such a success in no small part due to your energy, enthusiasm and organizational skills. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the hard work is rewarded by the success. You made it easy for us to understand the meaning of Christmas and to meet diplomats, parliamentarians, defence attachés and business leaders.
Peter Hall, Chief Economist – Econosphere
Peter Hall is Chief Economist at Econosphere Inc., a boutique business strategy advisory firm. Until recently, he was Chief Economist at Export Development Canada, heading up a large team of economists and country risk analysts that provided comprehensive forecasting for internal and external business strategy purposes, transaction risk analysis for over 160 countries, model creation, use and maintenance and data systems support. In addition to advising EDC’s executive team and board of directors, Mr. Hall personally conducted dozens of presentations annually to a wide variety of business, government and academic audiences and was continuously sought as a conference speaker at industry events in Canada, the United States and internationally.
Mr. Hall regularly comments on the global and Canadian economies on print media, radio and television and authored EDC’s widely-circulated Weekly Commentary. Prior to his work at EDC, Mr. Hall directed the economic forecasting activities of the Conference Board of Canada. He has served as the president of the Canadian Association for Business Economics, a 600+ member organization of professional economists and also its largest local chapter, the Ottawa Economics Association. He currently serves on the board of directors of two Ottawa-area charities.
Special Music by Joycelin Mosey and Jean-Marie and Hanne Niangoran
Joycelin Mosey
Joycelin’s music was first heard on Parliament Hill when she was just 9 years old. In her teens she performed at Carnegie Hall, the Bolshoi theatre, in Australia and the Netherlands. She has 20 years of piano performance and teaching experience. She and Jean-Marie and Hanne Niangoran performed in the recent National Prayer Breakfasts.
Jean-Marie and Hanne Niangoran
Jean-Marie and Hanne Niangoran are a talented couple originally from Côte d’Ivoire who love to sing and to worship God. They have produced three albums and anticipate releasing another soon. Since July 2021, they have initiated Célébration Gospel Outaouais, an annual gospel festival full of depth that brings together local and international gospel artists in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. They and Joycelin performed in the recent National Prayer Breakfasts.
The opinions expressed by the speakers and commentators at our events and posted on our website are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Christian Embassy.