Making headway
The Canadian Club of Montreal was created at a table in the Freeman Restaurant located on a street then known as St. James. On Monday, October 6, 1905, John A. Gunn and W.H.D. Miller, two former members of the Canadian Club of Toronto (founded in 1897), discussed the possibility of founding a similar club in Montreal. George Lyman, E. H. Cooper and Andrew Ross McMaster were also present at the meeting. Mr. McMaster became the club’s first president in 1905. Subsequently, during a second meeting, the group called upon others, namely Edwin Howard, Pierre Beullac, H.C. Monk and A. Huntly Duff, to hold further discussions.
These were the men who laid the foundations of the new club and organized the first official luncheon speech of the Canadian Club of Montreal, a tradition that continues today, more than one hundred years later! Today, the Club’s members, men and women, come mainly from the business and professional communities. They are a representative sample of the Montreal population.
A forum for great minds and great thinkers
Since the beginning, the Canadian Club of Montreal has presented quality speakers of significant interest to its members. To peruse the list of the Club’s speakers is to relive the history of Montreal, Quebec, Canada and the world! These great thinkers and men and women of action have discussed issues of public interest and of their day with members of the Canadian Club of Montreal.
The next page in history
A privileged witness of the evolution of the city, the province, and the world, members of the Canadian Club of Montreal have met speakers who have spoken on a wide range of topics touching on history and the evolution of the business world and society at large. Over the course of more than a century, the Canadian Club of Montreal has presented over 2,000 luncheon speeches delivered by numerous distinguished speakers. Today, in keeping with its history and accomplishments, the Club is committed to continuing the work it began over a century ago. That is why the Canadian Club of Montreal is now known as “The CEO rendez-vous.”
