Prime Minister appoints Chair of Canadian delegation to the APEC Business Advisory Council

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today appointed Paul Gobeil, Vice-Chairman of Métro-Richelieu Inc., to APEC's (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) permanent private-sector advisory group, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). Mr. Gobeil will chair the Canadian ABAC delegation and, given that Canada will chair APEC in 1997, will also serve as chair of ABAC next year.

The first direct dialogue between ABAC and APEC Leaders will take place at this year's APEC meetings in the Philippines. The ABAC was established in 1996 by Leaders in Osaka, Japan, to ensure that APEC policies and directions fully reflect the views and interests of the private sector. The Council will also play a key role in sustaining the momentum toward APEC's goal of free and open trade by 2010 for developed economies and by 2020 for developing economies.

ABAC brings together up to three business leaders from each APEC economy and representatives of both big business and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Canada's two other representatives are: Dr. Dorothy Riddle, CMC, President and CEO of Service-Growth Consultants, a financial services company active in Asia; and Mr. Terry Hui, President and CEO of Concord Pacific Developments.

Biographies of Mr. Gobeil, Dr. Riddle and Mr. Hui are attached.

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Paul Gobeil, F.C.A.
Vice-Chairman, Métro-Richelieu Inc., and Co-Chair of Aérospatiale (Canada) Inc.

Paul Gobeil has masters' degrees in commerce and accounting and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School. During his career, Mr. Gobeil has served as an executive of some of Canada's leading food retailers, including Provigo Inc., Loeb Inc. and IGA Canada Ltd., and held a number of corporate directorships, including the Royal Trust Company, Hydro Québec International and Domtar Inc. In 1985, he entered provincial politics in Québec and became Minister responsible for Administration and Chairman of the Conseil du Trésor. In 1988, he was appointed Québec's Minister of International Affairs. Mr. Gobeil joined Métro-Richelieu Inc. and Aérospatiale (Canada) Inc. in 1990 and currently sits on the boards of directors of several other companies, including the National Bank of Canada and l'Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec.

Dorothy Riddle, Ph.D., CMC
President and CEO, Service-Growth Consultants Inc. (Canada)

Dorothy Riddle specializes in enhancing the performance of service delivery systems, both public and private. She is an international expert in services and economic development, having designed the methodology used by the United Nations in conducting competitive assessments of the service sector. Author of Service-Led Growth: The Role of the Service Sector in World Development, Dr. Riddle is a registered ISO 9000 consultant and has worked in over 30 countries over the past 22 years. She has chaired the Working Group on Exporter Competitiveness under the government's International Trade Advisory Committee, and is the Director of Government Relations for the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Canada. She also serves on editorial boards of several professional journals on services.

Terry Hui
President and CEO, Concord Pacific Developments Corporation

Terry Hui holds a degree in physics and a masters science degree in electrical engineering. As President and CEO of Concord Pacific Developments Corporation, Mr. Hui is responsible for strategic planning and overall development of the $3 billion Concord Pacific Place development of the north shore of False Creek in downtown Vancouver. Mr. Hui is also President of Grand Adex Development, a major Vancouver-based residential development firm, and MultiActive Technologies, a group of companies engaged in developing and marketing interactive technologies. Holding a number of corporate directorships, including Husky Oil and Pacific Place Communications, Mr. Hui is active in a wide range of community organizations, including both the Advisory Council to the Faculty of Commerce of the University of British Columbia and the Faculty of Business Administration of Simon Fraser University.