Canada. It's Time for Extraordinary

This is a special four-minute edition of Chatter That Matters. Canada's economy and sovereignty are under threat—not from weapons but from tariffs. This isn’t the moment for political grandstanding, showboating, posturing, or scoring points.

It's time for extraordinary.

RBC sponsors my podcast, and this weekend, I had the honour of reading a note from their President and CEO, David McKay, that was sent to all of their employees.

RBC didn't ask me to do this, and they are not compensating me.

I am reading his letter to you, hoping you will listen to his words, and intent.

This is the kind of leadership our country requires. 

Positivity, possibility and making Canada's destiny a matter of choice, not chance.

Please listen to it and share it. David McKay's remarks and others of similar tone deserve a much broader audience, spanning our private and public sectors without geographic or partisan boundaries or biases. 

Canada. It's time for extraordinary.

 

 

 

 

 

Episode Transcript

(00:06):
Hi. It's Tony Chapman. I'm breaking format today by
putting out a special edition to Chatham that matters. My motivation
is a terror of war launched by president Donald Trump, and what's
gonna be needed over the next 100 days. To
me, more than anything else, we need extraordinary
leadership. We don't need grandstanding, people looking to score

(00:28):
political points. We don't need toxic volleys
flying across the border. What we need is to walk in
the shoes of everyday citizens on both sides of the border. Think
about their lives, their livelihoods, our communities, our
economies, our country, continent, North America,
and the world. I wanna share with you a note that

(00:50):
David McKay, the president of RBC, wrote to his employees. I'm
sharing it with you because I think it deserves a much wider
berth. I'm hoping it travels effortlessly across
the private and public sector, and not only in Canada and United States,
but around the world because it's about people
working together, solving problems, and going for a

(01:13):
greater good. So here's what he had to say.
I'm sure you've been following the news of president Trump's unprecedented decision
to impose tariffs on key trading partners. I wanted to post a
response shared with RBC employees today. Many are
feeling upset and disappointed that the long standing successful economic
partnership between Canada and the US has been put into

(01:35):
question, and I share those feelings too. More than a
century, Americans and Canadians have been steadfast allies, friends,
working and thriving together through some of the most challenging moments in
history. Over 1,000,000,000,000 in goods and services are
reliably exchanged between the two countries through a balanced trade
relationship and deeply integrated supply chain. This is

(01:57):
good for businesses, workers, and families on both sides of the border. It's
been good for RBC 2 as a Canadian bank that proudly calls the US our
second home market. At a time when our world is becoming more divided,
this relationship should be becoming even stronger. This view is at the
heart of the trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico, and it's
shared by a majority of Canadians and Americans across the political spectrum.

(02:20):
There are no winners in a prolonged trade war between allies, especially 2
nations that each have their own deep rooted identity, unique culture, and a
strong sense of independence. The tariffs could severely impact
jobs and hurt affordability for Canadian and American workers and
families, and many small and midsized businesses
will be put at risk as the cost of doing business goes up.

(02:42):
As we navigate the weeks ahead, RBC will stay focused on our clients and
communities when they need us most. Our bank has the financial
resilience and expertise to help clients navigate difficult economic
times. We're already working closely with the Canadian government to develop
tools to support clients just as we did during the pandemic.
On a personal note, I believe this is the moment to unite the country behind

(03:05):
a long term economic agenda, one that boosts competitiveness and
drives prosperity for all. The world wants what Canada can
provide in great abundance. We can feed and fuel the growing world and
be a leader in energy, agriculture, critical minerals, advanced
manufacturing, and technology. To do this, Canada must build a more
resilient economy that leverages its strengths. That means removing

(03:28):
internal trade barriers, getting high impact energy and infrastructure projects
approved faster, supporting homegrown tech innovation, improving
our tax competitiveness, and unlocking more capital to scale our best
engines of economic growth. This is important for Canada's
long term economic partnership with the US, also our ability
to strengthen and diversify economic ties with other trading

(03:50):
partners. RBC has long spoken out about the need for
Canadian business policy makers to work together with greater
ambition, coordination, and urgency. Now is the time to
unite and do just that. Ladies
and gentlemen, that is a lesson in extraordinary leadership. It's not about David MacKay.
It's not about the bank. That's about walking in the shoes

(04:12):
of Canadians and Americans. It's about their lives, their livelihood. The
small and medium sized businesses, the communities about building a
better world and building a stronger Canada.
Stony Chapman. Let's chat soon.