Hon. Tony Loffreda: Honourable senators, I rise today to bring your attention to the fourteenth edition of the John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition, or JMUCC, and pay tribute to my alma mater Concordia University.

From February 28 to March 5, Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business is hosting its annual undergraduate case competition. The week-long event gives teams of business students from around the globe a chance to compete and solve live business cases. Using their skills, knowledge and resourcefulness, teams present their analysis to a panel of judges consisting of industry specialists who must evaluate and rank their work. Once again, I am honoured to serve as lead judge for the finals on Saturday. In fact, I’ve been involved with the competition since its inception in 2009.

Year after year, I am struck by the business acumen and all‑around brilliance of the students competing in the event. They showcase passion, spirit and dynamism — the three pillars at the heart of JMUCC’s mission statement. One thing is certain: our future business leaders and entrepreneurs are ready to take the world by storm. They have the brains and heart — the perfect one-two combination — that will certainly help them succeed in life. It’s truly impressive to see.

Over the years, I’ve witnessed firsthand how life-changing and formative this competition is for these students. They acquire some lifelong skills that will allow them to be better entrepreneurs and businesspeople but, above all, better global citizens. Some of these skills include strategic thinking, innovative problem solving and sound decision making.

Since its inception, JMUCC has grown into the largest international case competition with 28 universities from across the world competing each year. In total, 54 cases have been analyzed, and nearly 1,400 university students have competed. In my view, what makes JMUCC so popular and attractive to students is the fact that it is held in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and hosted by one of Canada’s great post‑secondary institutions. Regretfully, for the second time in a row, the competition is being held virtually this year, which didn’t allow its competitors an opportunity to explore all the sights and sounds that Montreal has to offer.

Honourable senators, please join me in congratulating this year’s organizing committee for hosting another world-class event despite the challenges of the pandemic and wishing all participants an exciting and memorable competition.