Rick Waugh uttered the words, jokingly, well before fresh United States tariffs became a reality: “Gimme a crisis.”

He’d led Canada’s most international bank — Scotiabank — through events such as the global financial crisis in 2008 and the 2001 default in Argentina.

And yet, under his decade-long tenure as chief executive, Scotiabank’s profits tripled to $6.5 billion from $2 billion. He oversaw some 40 acquisitions with a roughly $13 billion value between 2003 and 2013.

Waugh returned to his hometown of Winnipeg this week with a message: Canada’s banks will be alright.

“We should recognize now, going forward, what we have,” Waugh said, donning a blue University of Manitoba commerce jacket inside the post-secondary institution.

He visited his alma mater Wednesday and addressed students

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