Stephen J.R. Smith to receive 2026 Nation Builder Award from The Empire Club of Canada

TORONTO, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Empire Club of Canada today announced Stephen J.R. Smith as the recipient of the 2026 Nation Builder Award, in recognition of his work pioneering a new path to homeownership and investing in the institutions that educate and inform the nation — contributions that have shaped not only the lives of citizens across Canada, but how Canada’s story is told on the global stage.

The award will be presented at a special luncheon ceremony on Tuesday, January 19, 2027, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. The event will also be livestreamed.

“Stephen Smith has spent his career building institutions that open doors for Canadians — to a first home, to a world-class education and to a deeper understanding of our national story,” said Kent Emerson, CEO of the Empire Club of Canada. “At a time when Canada is asking what it takes to build at home and carry its strength to the world, his record offers a clear answer: work that lasts, built in service of the country.”

Through First National Financial, which he co-founded in 1988, Smith built a lender that grew to more than $90 billion in mortgages under administration, opening the door to homeownership for hundreds of thousands of families — and with it, a foothold of stability and belonging in this country. He has invested more than $150 million in Canadian higher education, including the largest single donation ever made to a Canadian engineering school, shaping how the country educates its future business leaders and engineers. He has championed the preservation of Canada’s national story through his stewardship of Historica Canada, and through his stake in The Economist Group has worked to ensure Canada’s voice carries weight in the global conversation.

“The Nation Builder Award is the highest honour our Board can confer, and it is reserved for Canadian leaders whose contributions will shape our great country for generations,” said Saurabh Popat, Board Chair of the Empire Club of Canada. “Stephen's work has widened opportunities for Canadian families and communities from coast to coast to coast. On behalf of the Board of Directors, it is a privilege to recognize him.”

“I am deeply humbled and honoured by this award and grateful to my friends and colleagues who have made this journey possible,” said Smith, Chairman and CEO, Smith Financial Corporation.

A Ceremony Honouring a Lasting Legacy

The luncheon will pay tribute to that legacy before an audience of business, civic and community leaders. The ceremony will include testimonials on the impact of Smith’s work from Duncan Jackman and Gareth Seltzer among others, followed by the formal presentation of the award and remarks from Smith. The luncheon program closes with a fireside chat between Smith and Amanda Lang, Chief Financial Correspondent, CTV News, and host of Taking Stock.

Following the luncheon, Smith will sit down for an intimate conversation and leadership exchange with post-secondary students. This Student Mentorship Forum, hosted by the Empire Club Foundation will serve as a prelude to the inaugural Hal Jackman Future Nation Builder Awards. The awards are set to take place on May 6th, 2027 and will honour five exceptional emerging leaders from across Canada, bringing together today's leaders and the student voices who will shape tomorrow.

Tickets for in-person attendance are on sale now at https://empireclubofcanada.swoogo.com/2026_Nation_Builder_Award_Stephen_J_R_Smith/beg in.

For more information about the event, visit https://empireclubofcanada.com/event/2026-nation-builder-award-stephen-j-r-smith/.

Background – Nation Builder Award

Established by the Empire Club of Canada and now in its eighth year, the Nation Builder Award is the Club’s highest honour, presented annually to a distinguished leader, organization or group who has made an outstanding contribution with lasting impact to the nation. The award's past recipients are the Toronto Blue Jays, Prem Watsa, Wes Hall, Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, Chief Perry Bellegarde, Canada’s frontline health workers, and Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors.

About the Empire Club of Canada:

Founded in 1903, the Empire Club of Canada is the nation's most recognized speakers' forum, providing an independent platform for thought leaders from business, politics, and civil society to engage in open dialogue on issues of national and global significance. With more than 3,500 events hosted—including addresses by Winston Churchill, Indira Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Bill Gates—the Club's mission is to connect people to ideas, foster meaningful conversation, and help shape Canada's future.

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About Stephen J.R. Smith:

Stephen Smith, OOnt, is the Chairman and CEO of Smith Financial Corporation (SFC). Throughout his career, he has been an innovator in the development and utilization of various securitization techniques to finance mortgage assets and a leader in the development and application of information technology in the financial services industry. Through SFC, he has significant equity investments in a range of entities: Fairstone Bank, Canada Guaranty, First National, Peloton Capital Management and The Economist Group.

Mr. Smith co-founded First National Financial Corporation in 1988, serving as CEO until 2022, then as Executive Chairman and now Chairman Emeritus.

He is the Chair of Peloton Capital Management, a mid-market North American private equity firm; Glass, Lewis & Co., a leading global proxy advisory firm; and Fairstone Bank of Canada, Canada’s seventh largest bank. He served as Chair of Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Company from 2010-2023. He is a member of the Board of The Economist Group Limited and E-L Financial Corporation.

Mr. Smith is Chair of Historica Canada, the creator of the Heritage Minutes and publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia. He is a member of the Board of the C.D. Howe Institute and is an Honourary Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum.

In 2015, Queen’s University announced the naming of The Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in honour of Mr. Smith and his then historic $50-million donation to the school. In 2019, Mr. Smith was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. In 2023, Mr. Smith pledged $100-million to the Queen’s faculty of engineering, now named Smith Engineering, the largest gift ever made to an engineering faculty in Canada. He is a member of the Order of Ontario.

Mr. Smith holds a B.Sc (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and a M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics. In 2017, Queen’s University awarded him an honourary LL.D.

About Duncan Jackman:

Duncan Jackman has been Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of E-L Financial Corporation, an investment and insurance holding company, since 2003. In 2003, he was also elected Chairman of the board of directors of The Empire Life Insurance Company. Mr. Jackman is also Chairman of Algoma Central Corporation, the largest Great Lakes bulk shipper, as well as Chairman and President of Economic Investment Trust Limited and United Corporations Limited, two Canadian listed closed-end funds. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of several other public and private companies. Mr. Jackman is a member of the Business Council of Canada and formerly served on the Economic Advisory Council to the Minister of Finance, Government of Canada. Mr. Jackman graduated from McGill University in Montreal.

About Gareth Seltzer:

Gareth Seltzer has spent much of his career advising business leaders and institutions on conflict, legacy and change, earning a reputation for discretion, perspective and trusted relationships. An entrepreneur, he co-founded RYOT, acquired by Verizon/AOL, and produced the Academy Award-nominated documentary Body Team 12. A past President of The Empire Club of Canada, Seltzer is a current board member of The Empire Club Foundation and is passionate about the work the Foundation does to give Canada’s students opportunities to network and meet with the country’s most influential leaders. He devotes much of his time to cancer philanthropy and serves on The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation’s Capital Campaign Cabinet. Following his own cancer diagnosis in 2022, he has shifted his focus toward family, community and meaningful experiences — a more personal expression of his lifelong interest in people — and is also a registered Ontario marriage officiant.

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Empire Club of Canada
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