David M. Culver Chairman of the Board CAI Capital Corporation David M. Culver OC Companions of the Order of Canada Appointed in 1988 for his work to improve economic ties between Canada and the Pacific Rim countries as Chairman of the Business Council on National Issues. Nommé en 1988, il s'est consacré, à titre de président du Conseil canadien des chefs d'entreprises, à l'amélioration des relations entre le Canada et les pays en bordure du Pacifique. Is a chief executive of the Business Council on National Issues as of March 1st, 2000 --- David Culver Stories --- David M. Culver writes about our great city Almost everybody loves Montreal - almost nobody is willing to invest in it. 11 Apr 1996 Expo, Olympics and, yes, the Westmount Library, Molson Centre and more soon. 12 Sept 1996 The natural destiny of Montréal is to be the Geneva of the 21st century Friday 10 March 2000 PVM is city's best corporate address by L. IAN MACDONALD ... Alcan moved uptown in the mid-1980s to its heritage headquarters on Sherbrooke St., a pet project of its former CEO, David Culver. Alcan Aluminium Ltd.'s play for Alusuisse Lonza Group Ltd. (Algroup), which rose out of the ashes of the failed 3-way merger with France's Pechiney SA bore fruit yesterday, but only after Alcan cranked up its offer by about 5 per cent for the Swiss firm. Alcan has secured a lockup agreement with Algroup chairman Martin Ebner's BZ Group Holding Ltd. and its affiliates, which control 34 per cent of the company's stock. But a final hurdle has yet to be cleared, a special meeting of shareholders in July in Switzerland. Alcan's offer is conditional on 67 per cent of Algroup's shares being tendered. Saturday 3 June 2000 Ouch! Apologies to David Culver, the man who helped build Alcan into a world power and, until 1989, the company's chairman. Our business section used a wire photo from New York yesterday showing New York stock-exchange officials and Alcan executives celebrating the company's 50 years listed on the exchange. The Associated Press photo caption failed to identify Culver (in his trademark bow tie), but we should have known better. The other unidentified man next to Mr. Culver was Alcan retiree Alva Chiasson. - Alan Allnutt

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At long last - and hopefully not too late - the Montréal problem is receiving attention from a wide cross-section of Québec society. And, while goodwill is often hard to find in the separation and language debates, there is plenty of it available when it comes to getting Montréal back on track.

The determination of Québecers to revitalize Montréal is becoming more evident by the day. It is critical that this energy be used to propel our city toward what is its natural destiny and vocation. It must not be wasted on efforts to turn Montréal into something for which it is not suited.

These are the things we should NOT do. We should not compete with Toronto for the head offices of purely Canadian businesses. That day has passed. Montréal is not the best place from which to run an enterprise that sells its products and services only in Canada. Secondly, we should not expect Ottawa to spend money to cure a problem that it had little, if anything, to do with creating. Montréal is a made-in-Québec problem and it can be put right by we Québecers.

Now for the things that we SHOULD do. They are all based on an accurate assessment of the true and natural destiny of Montréal. If we can get the assessment right, and if we can get all Québecers to buy into that assessment, and if we then support everything that gets us there, the next century will belong to Montréal.

The true and natural destiny of Montréal is to be the Geneva of the 21^st century - the preferred city from which to run global enterprises - a magnet for young people who seek to use the new technologies as a means of making their individual mark on the world stage. A French city that confidently welcomes all languages, religions and cultures (which, incidentally, is the mark of all great city states throughout history, i.e. Toledo in the 13^th century).

Why do I believe that such a vision for Montréal is doable? It is doable for reasons that are cultural, geographical and historical.

The Montréal school system provides a flow of culturally diverse graduates, all of whom are familiar and comfortable with the Latin Catholic culture, the Anglophone "wasp" culture, the Jewish culture. They all have Italian friends, Ukrainian friends, Chinese friends, etc. This is not found in other cities. It provides businesses with employees who can be sent anywhere in this world on short notice, and they will know how to behave - how to get along - how to succeed. In my many years in international business, I seldom came across a Québecer who hesitated to accept an international posting. This again makes Montréal different from other cities.

As to geography, a cursory look at a globe atlas reveals the appropriateness of Montréal's location in relation to world markets. Add the fact that we are long on modern airport capacity (which is scarce elsewhere) and you have a strong geographical case for Montréal as a most desirable location from which to manage global businesses.

As to history, let us not forget that North America - relatively bigger then than the entire world is to us now - was opened up and largely "run" from Montréal. The spirit of the "coureurs de bois" is still alive in young Québecois.

Yes - the assessment that Montréal should be the Geneva of the 21^st century is based on cultural reality, geographical reality, and historical reality. Unfortunately, we lack one critical reality which can be called inner peace. We can only achieve our destiny if international capital is comfortable with Montréal, and that means more than just Wall Street. For that to happen, our politics can be lively, but they must never be nasty. Only we Québecers can bring this about. If we fail, our city will continue to decline to a point where it becomes a small regional town taking in the washing of the surrounding communities. If we succeed in achieving inner peace, and if we use our energies and goodwill to make Montréal the leading French city in the world from which to manage global enterprises, our future is too exciting for words. On the assumption that we can achieve inner peace, on the assumption that francophones in Québec can become confident of their ability to protect their French culture and language without having to restrict other languages, notably English, given the above the future of Montréal becomes exciting once again - much like it was in 1967.

David M. Culver

David M. Culver's

Windows on Westmount and Montreal

The Montreal Gazette

Board of Business Contributors Column April 11^th, 1996

We have entered a period of pause in the separation agony. We need to make good use of it, but how? I suggest that there is one thing we should NOT do, and two that we should.

We should not waste time and effort on the question "What does Premier Bouchard really intend to do?". As he has cleverly pointed out, the decision on whether or not to hold another referendum is not his to make - rather all Quebecers will make it when they elect or reject the PQ in three or four years' time. So we have time - let's use it wisely. Remember, we have to appeal to all Quebecers, not just one!

To use it wisely, we would do well to heed the advice of the Hon.Stéphane Dion, viz. concentrate our efforts towards appealing to the sense of pride and solidarity of all Quebecers.

To this end, there are two concrete steps we can take. We can appeal to pride and solidarity by turning Montreal around; we can appeal to pride and solidarity by turning Canada into a republic within the Commonwealth.

The need to resurrect Montreal should be a no-brainer for both separatists and federalists. I would ask those who are rigid in their separatist views to contemplate a situation wherein the newly independent country of Quebec had to invite visitors from the rest of our great world to enter it through the front door of a dilapidated and demoralized Montreal. Far better - it seems to me - would be to rekindle the all party - all cultural cooperation that brought us the Quiet Revolution of 1960, the Expo of 1967, the Olympic Games of 1976 and, yes, the Westmount Library and the Molson Centre of 1996!

Let us never forget that only the economic engine of an upbeat Montreal can bring to all Quebecers the caring and universal society that all of us want, but which is hard to pay for!

And then there is the matter of Montreal's true vocation, viz. to be the Geneva of the 21^st century - a global French city where French predominates, but all other cultures, languages and religions are welcome. A Toledo of the 13^th century, full of pride and solidarity. Right now we lack the inner peace to get there. Is it so difficult to put this right? We were on that track thirty years ago - why not now?

As to achieving pride and solidarity by adopting the status of a republic within the Commonwealth, we should recognize three facts of Canadian life: we have become a mature country with a unique character and style of our own; we have become an immigrant society with a diversity that goes far beyond the native peoples and Upper and Lower Canada that we started with; and we badly need a new piece of paper (constitution) freshly thought out to reflect the above, and devoid of the harsh baggage that the present one carries with it.

We think of Canada as a new country - and so we are. But our constitution has been with us for a lot longer than is the case with many older independent countries (France, Germany, Italy, etc.). Britain of course has no written constitution, but is long on precedent. Which reminds me to end with the point that in suggesting it is time for Canada to become a republic I am not in any way criticizing the British Royal family. They have served Canada well during our formative years. And by remaining within the Commonwealth, we would continue to bear witness to those values that have stood up so well over vast regions of the world.

David M. Culver