Event Date: May 12, 2025 - 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: FSS 4007, 120 University Private, University of Ottawa

Important update: in-person attendance is now full, but you can still join us virtually through our livestream on Zoom – please register by May 12.

Virtual registration (Zoom) here.

Presented by CIPS and the Canadian Ambassadors Alumni Association (AmbCanada)

In light of the unprecedented challenges currently confronting Canada’s prosperity, security, and sovereignty, CIPS and AmbCanada are pleased to host their first-ever joint foreign policy conference: Finding Canada’s Place in a Disordered World. This conference will bring together former Canadian Heads of Mission and academic experts to discuss these critical issues.

Cost: $20 per person (pre-registration required). The deadline for registration to attend in person is April 30.

Find all of the speaker biographies here.

PROGRAMME

12:00pm – Informal lunch (sandwiches included with registration)

1:00pm – Welcome and Scene Setting

• Alexandra Gheciu, Director, Centre for International Policy Studies, uOttawa
• Michael Small, President, Canadian Ambassadors Alumni Association

1:15pm – How Much Can We Rely on Our Traditional Alliances?

Moderator: Rob McRae, former Canadian Ambassador to NATO

Panelists:

• Martin Loken, former Canadian Deputy Head of Mission, Washington, D.C.
• Richard Fadden, former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister
• Jacqueline Best, Professor, School of Political Studies, uOttawa

2:30pm – How Should We Engage the Rest of the World?

Moderator: Patricia Fortier, former Canadian Ambassador to Peru and Bolivia

Panelists:

• Ian Burney, former Canadian Ambassador to Japan
• Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President, Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada
• Guillermo Rishchynski, former Canadian Ambassador to the U.N.

3:45pm – How Does This Change Our Diplomacy?

Moderator: Alexandra Bugailiskis, former Canadian Ambassador to Italy

Panelists:

• David McKinnon, former Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
• Pascale Massot, Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, uOttawa
• Henri-Paul Normandin, former Canadian Ambassador and Deputy PermRep

4:45pm – Concluding Reflections

• Senator Peter Boehm, Senate of Canada

5:00pm – Reception and Cash Bar