AIESEC in Canada

AIESEC in Canada owes its founding to a request by Donald W. James of AIESEC in the United States for a recommendation letter. This request reached in February 1958 the Vice-President of "The House of Seagram Limited,Charles Bronfman. Mr. Bronfman liked the idea of AIESEC so much that he came to the conclusion that Canada should have an independent AIESEC.

On March 25th, 1958 Mr. Charles Bronfman proposed this idea to the Chairman of the World University Student's Society, Mel Rothman. After several exchanges of letters landed in a letter Lewis Perinbam sponsored by the World University Service of Canada. On November 8th, 1958 was held at McGill University in Montreal the first provisional meeting of AIESEC in Canada. The founding meeting members were: W. Eric Kierans, Adam Dickie, Simon St.Pierre, Jean Dagenais, Lionel Simons, Gerald Destounis and Arthur Dalfen, all professors of various departments.

The following lists down some of the main facts related to AIESEC's growth in Canada!!!

1958- AIESEC Canada is founded in Montreal, with support from Charles Bronfman, the Vice President of TheHouse of Seagram Limited, and Lewis Perinbam, President of World University Service of Canada (WUSC). Lionel Simons, former President of AIESEC Great Britain, is enlisted to help get AIESEC Canada off the ground. Affiliated with the World University Student Society for the first year, it was known as CASEC (Canadian Association of Students in Economics and Commerce).

Did you know? Charles Bronfman, one of the initial major supporters of AIESEC Canada, is the son of Samuel Bronfman, the great philanthropist who helped establish the Bronfman Building at McGill which currently houses the Desautels Faculty of Management. The Bronfman family also created the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and donated the Seagram Building on Sherbrooke St. to McGill.

1959 - Within three months, eleven internships and twelve trainees have been generated in three chapters (McGill, H.E.C., and Sir George Williams College – now Concordia). Claude Germain arrives at International Congress ��59 in Cologne, Germany to propose that Canada is granted official status in the AIESEC world.

1960 - In addition to UQAM, AIESEC in Canada also expands to Laval, Toronto, Manitoba and UBC, bringing the total to eight chapters.

1961 - AIESEC McGill and Mr. Charles Bronfman organize a networking event in Montreal, which results in 50 internships sold to Canadian companies.

1962 - JJ Elkin, one of Canada’s first exchange participants and former Local President of AIESEC McGill, becomes the first Canadian to be elected as AIESEC��s International President.

1963 - United States President, John F. Kennedy, welcomes AIESEC’s International Congress and our members to a reception at the Whitehouse.

1965 - Internationally, AIESEC breaks the 4,000 exchange mark, up from 2,000 in 1960.

1966 - Less than 10 years after its founding, AIESEC Canada has 10 local chapters and 120 students on internships each year, but no national infrastructure to support sustainable growth.

1967 - AIESEC Canada hosts International Congress at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. The conference is still known as one of AIESEC’s most extravagant conferences ever held, but creates large deficit for the organization.

1969 - AIESEC Canada becomes incorporated, establishes a national office on Ste. Catherine’s Street in Montreal, and Karen Marks (now mayor of Westmount) is the first salaried employee of AIESEC Canada.

1970 - Internationally, exchange results drop slightly, but with high demand for Canadian talent, AIESEC Canada is still able to exchange two Canadians for every internship raised.

1972 - Canadian President Vic Tkachuk returns from International Congress in Copenhagen with a new theme for Canada: “The Year of the Student”. Chapter membership and activities increase.

1973 - Royal Bank of Canada first sponsors AIESEC Canada, a partnership that lasts over 35 years

1974 - AIESEC Canada’s growth fuels expansion to 21 universities.

1975 - Tom Davies (President 1974-75), becomes the 2nd Canadian, to become President of AIESEC
International. Mr. Davies is today is a Vice President with IBM Canada.

1976 - AIESEC Canada’s activities are stable, giving the country a strong voice on the international stage.

1980 - Ms. Joan Wilson (AIESEC Canada President 1979-80), becomes the first female and 3rd Canadian, to become President of AIESEC International. Today, Ms. Wilson is the Vice President and Secretary at Sun Life Financial.

1982 - AIESEC Saskatoon hosts International President’s Meeting (IPM). Started by AIESEC McGill and
AIESEC Calgary, and quickly spreading across the country, annual Careers Day events are organized to
create a forum for students and business representatives to discuss career paths and opportunities in an
informal setting.

1983 - AIESEC Canada’s 25th anniversary is celebrated by a day long seminar and evening banquet in Montreal, attended by 600 people. Returning to speak is Charles Bronfman who is a McGill Alumni.

1984 - AIESEC grows to 32 local chapters in Canada, and President Ron Walchuk works to increase Canadian exchange results by 56%. For the first time AIESEC Canada crosses the 200 internships mark.

1986 - Under the leadership of Mr. David Hughes, the first ADAPT (AIESEC Development Assistance
Program for Trainees) program is created with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Today, Mr. Hughes is the President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity.

1988 - AIESEC grows to over 36 local chapters across Canada.

1989 - Under the leadership of Miville Menard, AIESEC Canada hosts International Congress (IC) 1989 in
Quebec City. Over 450 students from 65 countries attend and the event is considered one of the best
ICs in history. AIESEC Canada is awarded the prestigious Norman Barnett Award in recognition of its
contribution to the development of AIESEC in Canada and around the world

1994 - Led by President Patrick Hounsell, AIESEC’s head office moves from Montreal to downtown Toronto to better support local chapters and secure corporate partners.

1997 - With email and the internet changing the world, AIESEC Canada receives $285,000 from the
McConnell Family Foundation to implement new IS infrastructure and increase exchange activities.

1998- Canada celebrates 40 years of AIESEC with an Alumni Gala in Toronto.

2000 - AIESEC Canada ushers in the new Millennium led by President Ardyce Kouri, Canada’s 5th female
national president.

2001 - AIESEC International launches the ‘AIESEC Experience’, describing a full experience with several stages, enabling young people to discover and develop their potential. AIESEC’s Global Internship Program (formerly known as International Training Exchange Program - ITEP) comprises four pools of internships: management, development, technical and education/language.

2002 - For the third time, AIESEC Canada hosts International Congress (IC) ’02 in Calgary, led by Jennifer Pendura.

2003 - AIESEC’s International Traineeship Exchange Program (ITEP) is now known as Global Internship Program.

2004 - Brodie Boland (President 2004-05) becomes the 5th Canadian to lead AIESEC International.

2005 - AIESEC is now present in over 103 AIESEC countries.

2006 - AIESEC Canada is ranked amongst the top 10 countries in 2006 for its exchange results. Student Nominees (SN) are now called Exchange Participants (EP), in order to recognize recent graduates who are also eligible to participate in AIESEC’s Global Internship Program.

2007 - AIESEC Canada is awarded a $150,000 3-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to grow alumni involvement in Ontario.

2008 - Under the leadership of John Kelly, AIESEC Canada launches a new strategic plan and celebrates its 50th Anniversary.