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A new middle-power alliance would give Canada leverage and Canadians hope
Canada should lead the world’s middle powers in a collective and overdue weaning from American primacy by establishing a grand new security and economic alliance. As SCP Chair Jon Shell argues in The Hill Times, ten countries including Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the U.K., Spain, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands, or the “Core 10," would amount to about the same GDP as the U.S., with significant natural resources, massive buying power - and significant leverage against American economic aggression.
May 21, 2025
Letting private equity buy law firms may stifle service, mobility | Bloomberg Law
If we allow for private equity ownership of law firms, it isn’t unreasonable to expect a similar result as we are seeing in other professions—lower quality of service and work for clients and lower job satisfaction for lawyers. In an op-ed for Bloomberg Law, SCP Fellow Rachel Wasserman of Wasserman Business Law outlines why law firms should decentralize, not consolidate, to provide good service and keep lower overhead.
May 14, 2025
Mark Carney passed a tough test in Washington. He now faces an even tougher one at home | Toronto Star
We predicted that American investors would be looking to buy up Canadian businesses and assets, and that this would threaten our national security and economic sovereignty. Now Canada has to make a call on whether to kill Texas-based energy giant Sunoco's takeover of Parkland Corporation. In the Toronto Star, SCP CEO Matthew Mendelsohn and Chair Jon Shell ask: do we want to be owned by American billionaires, to work for them and have our wealth stripped away to pad bank accounts in New York and Dallas? If we really want Canada to remain ours, they argue, then we need to think and act like it.
May 12, 2025
Watch the video: Unleashing Canada’s potential in turbulent times | Canada Growth Summit 2025
The United States’ unprecedented economic assault has brought Canada’s many pressing challenges, both internal and geopolitical, into sharp relief. On April 24, SCP CEO Matthew Mendelsohn joined a panel of experts for a discussion on accelerating investment at Growth Summit 2025. This year's PPF event focused on how to urgently unlock Canada’s economic growth potential to safeguard our country’s global competitiveness—and our own standard of living.
May 1, 2025
Watch the video: Is Canada really poorer than Alabama?
Corporate leaders are obsessing over GDP per capita. But, as SCP CEO Matthew Mendelsohn explains, if you look at just about any number that would meaningfully tell you how well our economy is doing, Canada does better than the U.S. So, when people speak glowingly of the American economic model, and how great it would be if Canada could be more like the U.S., it is worth asking: which aspect of that mess do they really want to replicate here? And how would that be good for Canadians?
April 28, 2025
Watch the video: New ideas for a democratic economy | DemocracyXChange 2025
What kind of economy do we want for Canada—one that prioritizes growth and productivity, at any cost? Or one that focuses on greater shared prosperity? Watch the April 5th recording of SCP CEO Matthew Mendelsohn and an expert panel discussing "New Ideas for a Democratic Economy" at DemocracyXchange 2025.
April 7, 2025
Are young people giving up on Canada? | Missing Middle Podcast
Sabrina Maddeaux and Michael Moffatt explore how the inability to afford housing not only affects individuals but also poses systemic risks to the Canadian economy and society. They delve into the implications of economic vulnerability, the talent exodus to the U.S. and the growing disconnection among younger generations, emphasizing the urgent need for a cohesive housing policy that addresses these interconnected issues to ensure a stable and resilient future for Canada.
April 2, 2025
Inside the corporate battle over your pet’s health | The Fifth Estate
SCP Fellow Rachel Wasserman speaks with CBC's Steven D'Souza as part of an investigation into the skyrocketing cost of owning a pet. The documentary reveals how independent vet clinics are being gobbled up by multinational corporations and private equity for profit.
January 24, 2025
The Alternative Exit podcast: Championing Employee Ownership Trusts to revolutionize wealth distribution
SCP Chair Jon Shell sits down with Andy Farquharson on The Alternative Exit Podcast to explore the transformative potential of employee ownership. Jon recounts how he advocated for Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) in Canada to address wealth inequality and business succession. He talks advantages of EOTs, from preserving a company’s legacy to fostering economic resilience in the workforce and reshaping both business culture and wealth distribution.
January 23, 2025
CAMP x SCP virtual talk – understanding private equity
In industries from dentistry to aircraft manufacturing, private equity (PE) is everywhere—some of it intent on rejuvenating flailing businesses, and some of it poised to extract maximum profit at any cost. To demystify this financial tool, CAMP and SCP hosted an expert panel of informed insiders and prominent American critics who have been on the frontlines of fighting PE’s worst excesses.
November 18, 2024
Uncommons Podcast: Wealth inequality and inclusive growth with Matthew Mendelsohn
Social Capital Partners’ CEO, Matthew Mendelsohn, joins Member of Parliament for Beaches-East York, Nate Erksin-Smith, on his podcase “Uncommons”. Matthew and Nate talk about wealth concentration and its threat to democratic stability. They also discuss practical solutions to address wealth inequality, lack of trust in democratic institutions, the role of the federal public service and the need for a competent and responsive government.
July 26, 2024
Mark Carney and the Canadian business elite need to think more about growing wealth inequality that is destabilizing democracies around the world
Mark Carney made a speech last week and many people had plenty to say about it. But one of his replies during the Q & A deserves more attention than it received. MP Nate Erskine-Smith asked Carney what he would do about Canada’s growing wealth inequality. Carney’s answer was a bit unfocused, but he made two points clearly: 1) Let’s hope wealthy people give more to charity, and 2) We shouldn’t only focus on redistribution.
May 14, 2024
Canada is bad at studying wealth inequality and we explain why that matters
Social Capital Partner's Director of Policy Dan Skilleter summarizes the key findings of his recent report "Billionaire Blindspot" in a Toronto Star Opinion piece.
April 4, 2024
Social Capital Partner’s Director of Policy, Dan Skilleter, on The Agenda with Steve Paikin
Social Capital Partner’s Director of Policy, Dan Skilleter, sits down with Steve Paikin on The Agenda to discuss his recent report “Billionaire Blindspot”. This segment digs into how Canada’s official statistics severely underestimate how rich the richest Canadians are and includes steps that can be taken to correct this misrepresentation.
April 2, 2024