- Title:
- Taking care of business: the genesis and historical evolution of The Business Council on National Issues, 1976-1988
- Creator:
- Speer, Sean C.
- Date Created:
- 2007
- Degree Awarded:
- Master of Arts
- Subjects:
- Business enterprises Industrial policy International business enterprises Political aspects Canada
- Geographical Focus:
- Canada
- Supporting Materials:
- n/a
- Description:
- The Business Council on National Issues (BCNI), comprised of 150 chief executive officers representing Canada’s largest business firms and led by its president Thomas d’Aquino, has been a powerful voice on behalf of Canada’s “big business” sector since its inception in 1976. Its involvement in the contentious free trade debates of the mid-1980s effectively demonstrates the blue ribbon organization’s uncanny ability to broker an internal consensus within Canadian “big business” and to diplomatically advance its policy positions with the federal government and in the public forum. This thesis applies a case study approach to the Council in order to cast light on its innovative style of consensus building and thereby to further our understanding of the complex relationship between business and government in Canada. The thesis, drawing on archival materials and interviews, argues that the BCNI has fundamentally altered the nature of business-government relations in Canada, replacing the omnibus lobbying style of umbrella organizations like the Canadian Manufacturers’ Association with a more focused and proactive approach to business-government relations.
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- Speer, Sean C.. 2007. "Taking care of business: the genesis and historical evolution of The Business Council on National Issues, 1976-1988", Department of History, Carleton University
- Link to this page:
- https://cuhistory.github.io/grads/items/hist_137.html
Rights
- Rights:
- Copyright the author, all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.