In Ottawa, on March 13th, 2009, conservative-oriented thinkers, activists, organizers, strategists, volunteers, and students from across Canada attended the annual Manning Networking Conference & Exhibition. In the final discussion of the day, panellist Bill Robson (C.D. Howe Institute), Ken Boessenkool (GCI Canada) and Andrew Coyne (Maclean's) outlined a conservative response to the current economic downturn.