John McKenzie’s Post

Canada has all of the ingredients to be an economic powerhouse. And yet, recent economic indicators like our GDP and labour productivity have been far from inspiring. To turn these uninspiring numbers around, we need to take immediate action to unlock the flow of investment capital into our country. At TMX Group, we have the privilege and 172 years of history serving at the centre of our country’s capital markets. As owner and operator of Canada’s premier equities and derivatives markets, Toronto Stock Exchange and Montreal Exchange, as well as Canada’s public venture marketplace TSX Venture Exchange, we pay keen attention to issues that impact the flow of capital in this country – it’s our business. And simply put, Canada is our business. In my op-ed in The Globe and Mail, I’ve outlined three effective measures policymakers can take today to spur investment: 1️⃣ 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 2️⃣ 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝑹&𝑬𝑫 𝒕𝒂𝒙 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔. 3️⃣ 𝑷𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. Read the article for more on how Canada can attract investment to fund economic growth and maintain our competitive edge on the global stage.

It's always a pleasure to talk about Canada's leadership in the #ETF industry. In my interview with CNBC's Bob Pisani, I got to share how TMX Group's acquisition of VettaFi is going to drive ETF innovation and increase capabilities for ETF providers both at home and globally.

It's clear that the value of VettaFi's Exchange conference isn't just about the content, it's about the connectivity; the relationships and ideas generated at Exchange spawn the innovation needed to build a thriving #ETF ecosystem. #TeamTMX attended this year's Exchange conference in Miami and we were blown away by the impact of this phenomenal event. To top it all off, our team walked together to raise funds to support Susan G. Komen and combat breast cancer. Congratulations Tom Hendrickson, Jon Fee, Sarah Alexander, Orla O'Dwyer and your teams on another successful year. We’ll see you next year when Exchange heads to Vegas!

As a parent of a childhood cancer survivor, I know through experience that being 'cancer-free' doesn't necessarily mean 'free from cancer.' While I'm thankful to say we're coming up on three years of being cancer-free, the reality is that many children face ongoing challenges as a result of this disease. This is why I'm grateful for organizations like The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) and the support they provide to families from the moment a child is diagnosed, until well beyond their 'cancer-free' prognosis. For over 40 years, POGO has been connecting patients, families, and survivors with the support they need to deal with the residual impact of cancer and its treatment. TMX Group had the pleasure of opening the market alongside Jennifer Lomax, the hardworking POGO team, and cancer survivors and their families to celebrate the upcoming #POGOPJParty, an annual event that raises critical funds for childhood cancer care. If you'd like to support #POGO and attend the event on February 29, you can visit http://ms.spr.ly/6046c1WRj

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? Canada has many advantages, from our rich natural resources to our highly educated workforce – so what are we not getting right? And how can we capitalize on our strengths to attract the kind of investment – from within our own borders, and outside – Canada will need to thrive? TMX Group recently partnered with the Empire Club of Canada of Canada to a financial outlook event, where I had the pleasure of leading a discussion with Canadian business leaders, from sectors central to Canada’s economy. Thank you Sal R. for your partnership on this event, and to Earl R. Davis, Rhona DelFrari and Barbara Zvan for contributing to an insightful – and critical – discussion about unlocking investment in Canada. To view the full discussion, visit: http://ms.spr.ly/6047cDk75

TMX Group's solid Q4 and full-year 2023 results included important performance highlights across our business. In the face of persistent challenges in our operating environment, we reported four consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue growth. The strategic steps we’ve taken to accelerate the evolution of TMX—and the investments we made in our burgeoning global information business—will enable us to better serve our growing client base around the world. #TeamTMX looks forward to the work ahead as we write the next chapter.

Over the past five years, companies that achieved Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) certification have outperformed the broader stock market by 80 basis points on an annualized basis. It was so exciting to showcase VettaFi’s indexing capabilities in The Globe and Mail’s ‘2024 in Charts’ to track the performance of PAR-certified companies. The results are powerful – and highlight the fact that Indigenous inclusion and reconciliation are not a compromise. Thanks to The Globe and Mail for including TMX Group alongside Tabatha Bull and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business to showcase what's important to us in the year ahead. TMX has been making progress towards PAR Certification since 2021, and we realize corporate partnership plays a significant role in building a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.

I’m pleased to share we announced that TMX Group completed the acquisition of VettaFi, a leading US-based indexing, digital distribution, and analytics company. The acquisition of VettaFi is an important strategic move that fits squarely with TMX’s long-term financial and transformational objectives. But what’s most important is what this deal means for our clients: increasing the depth and value of data-driven insights we provide, expanding our digital capabilities, and enriching our industry-leading support for ETF issuers. We have a long history of leadership in the ETF and indexing space; in fact, Toronto Stock Exchange invented the first exchange-traded, index-linked product – the prototype to the ETF – in 1990. And as the industry has evolved, we’ve remained at the forefront of innovation. Today, we have almost 1,000 ETFs listed on Toronto Stock Exchange, with 114 new ETFs joining the market in 2023 alone. Benchmarks and indices are a core information requirement for our increasingly global client base, and we have an opportunity to expand upon our capabilities in this space. This acquisition brings key benchmark and index functions in house, including an index calculation engine, select underlying data sets, and product development and operational capabilities. VettaFi will deliver a dynamic new component to our Global Solutions, Insights & Analytics (GSIA) business, and we’re thrilled to add a talented team with proven, deep expertise and an innovative spirit to our organization. I want to thank our team for their hard work and dedication in making today possible, and to our new colleagues at VettaFi, welcome to #TeamTMX! We’ve already shared a fantastic year working together, and this announcement sets the stage for an exciting future. We know great things are ahead.

TMX Group was proud to participate in this year’s Indigenomics on Bay Street conference, which included hosting a workshop and market close at the TMX Market Centre. This two-day event brought together a cross-section of Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders from government, the private sector and not-for-profits to rally around the $100 billion dollar Indigenous economy–a goal that is not only possible, but essential for Canada’s future. There are nearly 65,000 Indigenous businesses across the country, which together generate about $10 billion in total revenue. Yet despite these compelling figures, Indigenous entrepreneurs continue to face challenges in accessing capital and growing their businesses. In 2021, TMX Group took on an important initiative to improve Indigenous relations at our organization, and through events like Indigenomics and our recent #TSX Indigenous Investor Day,  we’re proud to use our position at the centre of Canada’s capital markets to help connect Indigenous-led companies to potential investors. Our public market ecosystem is built to support innovation and sustainable success, and I’m excited by the opportunity to leverage that strength to further economic reconciliation. Thank you especially to Carol Anne Hilton, MBA, ICD.D, Tabatha Bull, Alicia Dubois, and the Indigenomics Institute for sharing your expertise and insights. We have hard work ahead of us, but the reward is something we can’t afford to miss out on – a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.