The famous navy blue CADA Laureate crested jackets, old stories and an unmistakable reunion energy were everywhere as more than 30 CADA Laureate award recipients gathered in Ottawa and Gatineau to mark the program’s 20th anniversary.
The event mixed nostalgia with industry substance, as CADA Laureates reconnected, attended business sessions and Question Period, and celebrated a recognition program that has become one of Canadian auto retail’s most coveted honours.
For two days in the National Capital Region, the CADA Laureate program felt less like an awards platform and more like a national dealer group of entrepreneurs who had been selected over the past two decades for business achievement, industry leadership and community service.
Many had not seen one another in years. Some naturally gravitated to others from their original Laureate “class.” Others picked up conversations that seemed to have started at past CADA events, dealership visits or awards dinners years earlier.
There were handshakes, hugs, jokes, stories about the industry, and plenty of talk about cars.
The anniversary gathering opened Monday with a dinner at the Rideau Club in Ottawa, before moving the next day to the Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau for business sessions, a visit to Parliament Hill, and a formal anniversary dinner.
The Parliament Hill visit and dinner gave the CADA Laureates a chance to wear the blue jackets that have become one of the program’s most recognizable symbols. The group attended Question Period and later gathered for a reception in the Speaker’s Lounge.
CADA President and CEO Tim Reuss joked during the evening dinner that the group had received a first-hand look at political theatre. “We did also receive a couple of comments about your tax dollars at work during Question Period,” said Reuss. “It is part of the game of this town.”
He said Ottawa proved to be the right setting for the anniversary gathering, in part because it allowed dealers to see more of what CADA does beyond the awards program itself. “When we chose Ottawa as a destination for this event, we were confident it would provide the perfect backdrop and it has exceeded our expectations in every way,” said Reuss.
Reuss said several CADA Laureates told him they appreciated the morning business sessions, which included presentations on advocacy, trade, EV policy, politics and the arrival of Chinese OEMs.
“I’ve received numerous comments from everybody throughout the day about the morning session and seeing a bit more how the sausage gets done at CADA,” said Reuss. “I think mission accomplished for the team that put all of that together.”
The business sessions gave the event weight beyond the celebration itself. Dealers heard from CADA’s Huw Williams and Charles Bernard, manufacturer association executives, political journalists and industry experts. The discussions focused on tariffs, Canada-U.S. trade uncertainty, affordability, EV policy, the luxury tax and emerging questions around Chinese brands entering Canada presented by the Clarify Group’s Niel Hiscox.
But the heart of the gathering was still the CADA Laureate program and the dealers it has recognized.
The event included several generations of CADA leadership and dealer leaders, including former CADA President and CEO Rick Gauthier, who launched the CADA Laureate program, and former CADA President and CEO John White, both of whom attended the gathering.
Gauthier said the CADA Laureate program was designed to be more exclusive than earlier dealer recognition programs, with only a small number of dealers selected nationally each year. “You’re a CADA Laureate winner once in your life and you’ll forever be referred to as a CADA Laureate winner,” said Gauthier.
He said it was gratifying to see the program continue to matter to dealers two decades later. “In this business not everything survives,” said Gauthier. “Here it is 20 years later and these dealers love it.”
CADA Chair Michael Croxon brought some humour to the formal dinner, joking about the photos of past CADA Laureates that had been playing on screens during the event.
“Who knew that Vaughan Wyant once had a head of hair like that?” Croxon said. “I don’t know what Trevor Boquist is eating out there in the Prairies, but I want some because he looks exactly the same today as he did many years ago.”
But the montage also carried a more reflective tone. “It also gives us time to pause and reflect on the Laureates that are no longer with us,” said Croxon. “Gratitude for the contributions that they made to our industry when they were able to do so.”
Croxon said many dealers spend much of their careers focused on their own stores without fully appreciating the work being done by CADA and provincial dealer associations in the background.
“There’s this thing called CADA that operates in the background that you kind of take for granted,” said Croxon. He said his own involvement with CADA gave him a deeper appreciation for what the association does on behalf of dealers. “I started to explore a little bit more of what CADA does for us as a community on a day-to-day basis and was absolutely blown away,” said Croxon.
Croxon said CADA Laureates are well positioned to help other dealers understand the work being done on their behalf. “I think one of the things that it’s important for us to do is spread the word about what our provincial associations do and what our federal association does on behalf of the dealer body,” said Croxon.
He said the CADA Laureate jackets and pins worn at the event symbolize more than an award. “You represent the best of the best of the Canadian automotive industry,” said Croxon. “What you do in your operations, what you do in your communities and what you do for our industry as a whole is recognized and acknowledged by the jackets that you’re wearing and pins that you’re donning this evening.”
Alnoor Jiwani, Executive Vice-President of iA Dealer Services, the event’s exclusive sponsor, said the anniversary gathering showcased the entrepreneurial resilience of Canadian dealers.
He said CADA Laureates face the same pressures affecting the broader industry — tariffs, regulation, logistics challenges, parts issues, Chinese vehicles and changing customer expectations. What sets them apart, he said, is how they respond.
“Every morning they wake up and they find a solution,” said Jiwani. “They wake up, they want to support the community, they want to pay their workers well, they want to service their clients.”
Jiwani said the CADA Laureate program helps shine a light on the real role dealers play in their towns and cities. “They’re the ones who are giving to the charities,” said Jiwani. “They’re the ones who are employing these people. They’re the ones who take care of their kids, who give them summer jobs.”
A sense of pride carried through the anniversary gathering. It was visible in the blue jackets, in the conversations between Laureate classmates, in the old photos, in the jokes, in the remembrance of those who had passed, and in the pride many dealers clearly took in being part of the room.
iA Dealer Services is the exclusive sponsor of the CADA Laureate Awards program, and has been since the program’s inception more than 20 years ago.
