Backgrounder - Export Development Canada board of directors

Export Development Canada (EDC) is a Crown corporation supporting Canadian exporters in markets abroad and overseen by the Minister of International Trade. EDC is also responsible for FinDev Canada.

The Minister of International Trade is accountable to Parliament for the governance and performance of EDC.

The Export Development Act requires that the government appoint a board of directors, whose members serve terms of up to four years. The current board contains directors of EDC who have served one or more terms, some since late 2007.

Board members are appointed by the Government of Canada and report through the Minister of International Trade, who in turn reports to Parliament. The board’s responsibility is to supervise the direction and management of EDC and oversee its strategic direction as outlined in its corporate plan. Board members also act as a link between EDC’s shareholder—the Government of Canada—and the arm’s-length operations of EDC.

List of new appointees

• Pierre Boivin, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault
• Karna Gupta, Chairman, VOTI Detection
• Pierre Matuszewski, former CEO, Société Générale (Canada)
• Karen MacWilliam, independent risk management and insurance consultant
• Andrea Stairs Krishnappa, General Manager, eBay Canada and Latin America
• Kari Yuers, President and CEO, Kryton International Inc.

Re-appointed board of directors

• Heather Culbert, Chair, Board of Governors, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology; former senior vice president of corporate services, Enerplus Resources Fund
• Lindsay Gordon, Chancellor, University of British Columbia; Corporate Director; former president and CEO, HSBC Bank Canada
• Elliott Lifson, Vice‐Chairman, Peerless Clothing Inc.; President, Canadian Apparel Federation
• Robert McLeese, President, Access Capital Corp.
• Darlene Thibault, Director of Equipment Leasing, Corporate Finance, Bank of Montreal

The appointment of the EDC board of directors was a result of the Government of Canada’s new recruitment approach for Governor-in-Council appointments, which includes open, transparent and merit-based processes that attract high-quality candidates while reflecting gender parity and Canada’s diversity.

2018 Export Development Act legislative review

The Export Development Act requires that the Minister of International Trade review the legislation—and with it, EDC—once every 10 years. The last review took place in 2008. The 2018 Export Development Act legislative review will assess how EDC is evolving, and should continue to evolve, to address the competitive dynamics and demands of international trade and provide Canadian exporters and investors with the export insurance and financing solutions they require to remain competitive in world markets.

The review will take into consideration the rapidly changing global economy, noting developments since the 2008 legislative review, and assess how EDC can continue to be one of the best export credit agencies (ECAs) in the world.

The review will be structured on a thematic basis, and look at such topics as EDC’s complementary role with the domestic private sector and its ability to meet evolving Canadian business needs in a changing global context. The review will also include an evaluation of Canada’s trade financing system.