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		Normand Côté,, Chair of the CEC Executive Committee 2011 Normand Côté, Chair of the CEC BMO Financial Group Stephen Bedard, TELUS Brian Burkett Heenan Blaikie Andrew Finlay Bank of Nova Scotia Peter Woolford Canadian Retail Council Directors The Board of Directors includes at least one representative of each Council member. Why Should Canadian Business Join the CEC? Please consult our membership page Visit our Photo gallery Photos from events and meetings		ABOUT THE CEC The CEC is the voice of Canadian employers on international labour issues. Since 1919, the CEC has supported the ability of Canadian business to function efficiently and profitably in Canada and abroad. The CEC is incorporated as a “not for profit” organization and is funded by fees it generates from members. CEC Memberships and Affiliations The CEC is the only organization to represent the interests of Canadian employers at the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations agency responsible for employment and international labour issues. The ILO is the key international institution in the field of global labour standards. The CEC has held this role at the ILO since 1919. The CEC is the only representative of Canadian employers in the International Organization of Employers (IOE), which represents employers’ interests internationally and at the ILO. A CEC representative is a member of the IOE management board. In addition to its roles at the ILO and IOE, the CEC is in the best position to represent Canadian business interests in connection with a wide number of prominent international organizations and conferences. The CEC represents employers on the Canadian federal Minister of Labour’s Advisory Council on International Labour Affairs (ACILA), a council responsible for coordinating the involvement of the federal government in international forums with respect to labour and workplace issues including globalization and trade liberalization. The CEC plays a leading role on labour issues within the Organization of American States (OAS). In particular, the CEC is a leading member of a permanent advisory body to the Minister of Labour of the OAS, a group comprised of labour ministers of the 34 nation states in the Western Hemisphere known as IACML. The IACML is central to the deliberations around a number of important labour issues including the labour and social dimension to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The CEC Promotes and Defends Canadian Employers’ Interests Through these memberships and affiliations, the CEC coordinates and advocate its members’ interests at a diverse number of essential domestic and international conferences, meetings and organizations dealing with employment, labour, social and business matters. The CEC provides input and recommendations to the federal and provincial governments on the issues with linkages between both international and domestic social and human resource issues. CEC-CCE DISCLAIMER			HISTORY The participation of Canadian employers at the ILO began in 1919 when the ILO was founded. Between 1919 and the early 1960s the degree of Canadian employer interest varied. The influence of ILO decisions on Canadian labour law was not as well understood as it is today. Active and regular involvement of Canadian employers at the ILO began in the early 1960s when four associations, the Canadian Manufacturers Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Construction Association and the Railway Association of Canada undertook to finance the activities of Canadian employers within the International Organization of Employers (IOE). In the 1980s, the Canadian employer organization began to actively solicit new members. The CEC has become a strong voice for Canadian business as a result of its continued growth and active participation by the business community. Acknowledgement We would like to thank Mr. Keith Richan who, through his employment at Phillips Electronics, was an active member and leader of earlier incarnations of the CEC between approximately 1966 and 1986. Mr. Richan also provided the CEC with the history of the Canadian employers' participation at the ILO, which is in the CEC office archives. A Record of Canadian Participation in the ILO and the Governing Body since 1919. (doc)