39th Christmas Celebration: What’s Missing in our Global Discourse? – Peter Hall

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?
Hear a discussion that challenges mainstream wisdom and highlights two critical elements that are almost entirely absent from today’s policy, strategic and social discourse.

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.
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.
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.