Power Behind the Throne: the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (VIDEO)

That the Council wields enormous power in the Canadian political arena is beyond dispute.

Its membership roster is a Who's Who of Canadian business and politics, including current President John Manley, who was named Time Canada's "Newsmaker of the Year" in 2001 for his role in crafting cross-border anti-terrorism strategies with the first U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and served as Deputy Prime Minister in the Chretien cabinet from 2002 to 2003.

Other members of the council are household names, if not personally than for the companies they helm: Air Canada, Bombardier, CN, Deloitte, Encana, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, KPMG, Royal Bank of Canada, and many other firms at the heart of the Canadian economy.