BRANDT. C. LOUIE CANADIAN CLUB OF VANCOUVER MARCH 22 ND , 2017 Page - - PDF document

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• BRANDT. C. LOUIE

CANADIAN CLUB OF VANCOUVER MARCH 22ND, 2017

Page | 2 Good afternoon. Thank you Janet for that very kind introduction. I would also like to thank Ray Greenwood, for inviting me to be here today. It is quite auspicious that I would be invited to speak to you at this particular time, when we have so much to celebrate as Canadians. I consider it an honour to be here with the friends and members of the Canadian club as we celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation this year. The Canadian club is celebrating 110 years of service in the community, a rare accomplishment. That kind of longevity is something I am familiar with. I have a deep appreciation for the level of commitment and passion required to sustain an organization and its people, long term. The H.Y. Louie group of companies will celebrate 114 years in business this year, while London Drugs will mark 72 years of service in Canadian retail this fall. At a time when we are seeing the demise of some truly great retailers, many of them household names; it is gratifying to know that we are thriving, and continue to grow. The theme for my talk today deals with the “Parallel Paths” taken by the H.Y. Louie group of companies and with the growth of Canada over the last century. My maternal great-grandfather’s arrival in Canada actually predates confederation. Seto fan gin arrived in what was then fort Victoria in 1862. He worked sewing miner’s tents in the caribou during the gold rush.

Page | 3 Seto more, my maternal grandfather was the Asiatic Passenger Agent of the Canadian pacific steamship lines. He was also a highly respected scholar and artist, who at one time was vice-president of the Canadian astronomical society. The Asian library at UBC believe the Seto family to be the oldest Chinese family in Canada, who originated during the gold rush, and who still have direct lineage and descendants today. The first steps of the journey for my family’s company began in 1896 when my paternal grandfather, Hok Yat Louie, left the Guangdong province of China to seek his fortune in Canada. It was less than 30 years after confederation; a scant 5 years since sir john a Macdonald had left office and Wilfred Laurier was prime minister. Laurier, arguably one of our great statesmen said, "Canada is free and freedom is its nationality." Those words could have been spoken quite recently and still ring true. Freedom, and free enterprise is what Hok Yat sought here. It is what he found and built

• n, despite facing discrimination and great adversity.

The Chinese immigration act of 1885 included a head tax, which by 1903 had been raised to $500 per person, to deter the Chinese from immigrating. Some of you here today may have heard me talk about how he paid the head tax for hundreds of his countrymen; paving the way for their futures, and countless numbers of their successive generations. Whether they are politicians, or business leaders, there are shared qualities of great tenacity, and passion, in our founders. They see well beyond what others consider as the horizon. They are pragmatic about the here and now; but their vision for the future is inspiring and infectious. So it was with those that built our nation over time, and those that built businesses and

• rganizations that would help sustain that steady growth.

Page | 4 By 1903 Hok Yat had opened the Kwong Chong Company on what is now Main Street in Vancouver. Applying the vision and entrepreneurial spirit just mentioned, he expanded and moved to a warehouse space on east Georgia Street, just 8 years later. In 1927 William Lyon Mackenzie king was prime minister of Canada; the same year my grandfather renamed his company, and incorporated it as the H.Y. Louie Company Limited. He had been in business almost a quarter century by then. It could be said that Mackenzie King followed in the family business, his being politics. However, his grandfather, like mine, was also involved in retail in his very early days in Canada. One of Mackenzie King’s mottos was said to be, "help those that cannot help themselves." Perhaps because they were men of the same generation, my grandfather’s words of advice to his sons echo those of Mackenzie King. He wrote these words in a letter of advice to his sons shortly before his death: “don’t be afraid to be kind and charitable, ill deeds should be avoided. These are my words for you to preserve, treasure and remember.” Once again, the shared sentiments of both Mackenzie king and Hok Yat Louie, are words that have defined Canada throughout history and never more so than today. We are a nation known for peace keeping, kindness, and compassion for all. In 1934 my grandfather died leaving the family business to my grandmother, my father and his siblings. R.B. Bennett was prime minister and had the misfortune of leading the country through 5 years of the Great Depression. As many of you as business leaders, who have had to take over a company in precarious time will know, it was a daunting proposition for him.

Page | 5 After introducing his version of “the new deal” in 1935 he said in part, "In the last five years great changes have taken place in the world ... The old order is gone. We are living in conditions that are new and strange to us.” He was of course referring to those times; but his words strangely echo for us today. It’s not my intention to provide a history lesson today, however, in appreciating our history we can sometimes find new ways forward… …and forward is where we have gone as a country; from difficult beginnings to global leadership. Similarly, the seed of an idea my grandfather had, has grown from a small store front in Chinatown to a diverse group of companies across western Canada and Asia. Our lines of business cover grocery, drug retail, a charter airline and even a luxury Relais & Chateau resort. We are now well into our fourth generation of the Louie family at the helm of the business and the fifth one is waiting in the wings. Those businesses all began, or grew, based on Hok Yat’s focus on building a business based on a simple but powerful foundation, of anticipating what customer’s needs were. It was true then – and is still true today. As a family company we appreciate that each generation must make their own mark. As leaders of communities or companies, we must be cautious not to impose ourselves

• n successive generations.

We can provide context, support, and guidance ... But they must be allowed to make their own way. Our corporate strategy for future growth has evolved over time. We have had to let go of some of our traditional businesses in response to market trends – and we have embraced new lines of business, to meet the changing, and future needs, of our customers.

Page | 6 I think as a business and community leader, I would be remiss if I left here today without commenting on the current landscape globally, and here at home in Canada. I say this, because a core value instilled in each generation of my family, is that business leadership also means providing leadership in our communities, and demonstrating good citizenship. While others throughout our history may claim this - we are now at a crossroads as Canadians, with many unique factors at play. This past January was my 25th year attending the world economic forum in Davos. During that time there have been many global events that have influenced the discussion there, but none more so than this year. While the official theme was on responsible leadership, the unspoken agenda was questions surrounding Brexit, the rise in populism and curiosity about then president elect Trump. In the absence of U.S. leadership at the conference, there was great excitement about president Xi Jingping of China’s speech. Though he never mentioned him by name, it was clear he was sending a subtle message to the U.S. President-elect, when he spoke of conflict and trade wars having no winners. He also expressed that détente and global trade among all nations was the only way to go forward. … It would be interesting to hear president Jingping’s thoughts now that we are two months into Mr. Trump’s contentious presidency! One of the reports featured annually at Davos is the Edelman trust barometer, which I’m sure many of you are familiar with. Oxfam once again this year released their report on who holds the bulk of wealth globally.

Page | 7 The latest information shared, claims that the world’s 8 richest billionaires hold more wealth than half of the world’s 7.9 billion people. This wealth “gap”, the shrinking of the middle class, rapid changes in technology and globalization, are all seen as fueling populist action and nationalism. The Edelman report shows the erosion of trust globally dropping, in direct relation to a rise in populism. With recent world events, the context of the word populism has changed. What once meant merely advocating for the common man, has evolved into something with a more dangerous meaning. It is seen now as something more volatile, as populist movements have resulted in significant social and political upheaval. The election of trump, Brexit, and the rise of extreme right wing leaders gaining popularity in France, and Holland, are just a few examples. It was a relief to see voters in Holland make the right decision last week, however, at the moment, even Angela Merkel is facing discontent in Germany. Canada was not exempt from the trend of “less trust” across all categories, in fact this was the first year Canada moved into the list of countries shown as “distrusters” in the Edelman survey. What is significant though, is the gap reported between so called “informed publics” and mass population. That is, the educated, well off and “staying informed” groups - versus the mass population. This is cause for concern, as it mirrors the US, France and Britain, where we’ve seen huge populist movements, and some dire consequences. As business and community leaders, we must pay close attention to this trend. The results on trust in business show this same large gap. If you combine that information, with the data that most people believe “word of mouth”

• ver reputable news agencies, it means our ability to influence people is in question.

That should be deeply troubling for us as leaders.

Page | 8 We are seeing this played out in the U.S. Right now with the explosion of so called “fake news,” and the impact that has on the political process. 60% of people said they were more likely to believe a search engine than trusting a human editor (something Mr. Trump famously subscribes to). According to Edelman, this is of real concern as it means increased polarization, and a decline in critical thinking, and rational fact-based argument. One of the foundation stones of the Canadian club is the “celebration of Canadian identity.” This idea of identity is much on the mind of Canadians these days, never more so, than since the refugee crisis escalated world-wide and Mr. Trump enacted his immigration bans. The writer, Stephen Marche in a recent article says that “we are the last country on earth to believe in multi-culturalism.” He goes on to say that “we are most open to the world at the exact moment the world has closed.” We return once again to words spoken by a former prime minister that could have been written today, in this case the elder Trudeau. He said, “There’s no such thing as a model or ideal Canadian. A society which emphasizes uniformity is one which creates intolerance and hate… What the world should be seeking, and what in Canada we must continue to cherish, are not concepts of uniformity, but human values: compassion, love and understanding.” I agree in principle with Pierre, but I also believe that as Canadians, we must have some shared common values, that define us as Canadians. These values are fundamental to the existence of our country and our culture. As a 4th generation Canadian, I believe new immigrants coming to Canada should not forget, or have to give up their own culture and values they grew up with. However, they should also adopt Canadian values that make us unique and Canadian.

Page | 9 There is much for us to do as leaders, beyond rhetoric and conversation. Our voices and most importantly our actions must provide direction and possibilities to all Canadians. I am confident that many of you in the room are doing just that in your own way. I am thinking in particular though, of Jim Estill of Danby Canada. CBS news recently ran a story on its Sunday morning news show, featuring him. Estill has put up his own money, $1.5 million; to resettle 58 Syrian families, 250 people in total, in Guelph Ontario. Why? … He says it’s because he was haunted by those pictures on television, of Syrian cities reduced to rubble, and Syrian people dying, as they tried to escape to someplace else, somewhere safe. “You don’t want to grow old and say you stood by and did nothing,” Estill said. “and it’s the right thing to do.” The right thing to do… Isn’t that one of those core values I just spoke of? My story like so many Canadian stories, began with a man coming here with not much more than a dream, and a fire burning in his imagination. That one man has, like so many new Canadians, impacted countless lives, and his influence is still at work now, in the 5th generation of my family. As I said at the beginning, we have much to celebrate, so much to be proud of as Canadians. A few years ago i was fortunate enough to speak on behalf of the Canadian Museum of Immigration. I will close today with the same words I shared then:

Page | 10 I would like to return to the words of our national anthem. They are words we sing often, and perhaps over time, we can lose our sense of what they really mean to us. We stand and sing together; at sporting events, parade grounds and meetings … “from far and wide oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee.” That line is repeated three times. As well it should be. Our freedom, our quality of life, our very way of life in Canada is a thing to be closely guarded and protected. Canada itself is an idea; a philosophy, of what is possible. The “true north strong and free” is a precious gift to every Canadian. To all who arrive here from “far and wide” in search of a place they can belong, be accepted fully, and become part of the fabric of this wonderful tapestry we call Canada. Just as my grandfather did in those daunting early days, and my father after him; I have faith in this great country. Like them, I practice informed optimism; which simply means I am aware that great rewards come from enormous effort. I feel collectively, as proud Canadians, we are up to the challenge. Together we can build on the foundation left to us by those who have gone before us. Together we can honour the choices made by all those brave souls who sought to gain entry to this great land. Together, we can continue to be the place on the global map others only dream of. To be the place others point to when they speak of a model to follow. A formidable example of possibility…

Page | 11 From sea, to sea, to shining sea… Thank you.