Event Date: October 2, 2026 - 9:00am to 5:30pm
Location: FSS 4007, 120 University Private, University of Ottawa

Presented by the Canadian Pugwash Group (CPG) and the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS)

Since Prime Minister’s clarion call in Davos this January for middle power activism in tackling international problems, there has been debate over what this would mean for Canadian diplomacy. Our joint policy conference this year will hear from Canadian experts on how the new emphasis on cooperation amongst middle powers might manifest across six areas of concern for international peace and security. Are there ways to repair the “rupture” in the international order and ensure that a Canadian foreign policy premised on “principled realism” will be successful?  We invite you to participate in person or online in what will certainly be a stimulating exchange of views.

This conference is free to attend but prior registration is required.

Program

9:00am-9:30am – Introductory Remarks

• Nisha Shah (CIPS) & Cesar Jaramillo (CPG)

9:30am-10:30am – Panel 1: “Common Security: An Alternative to Deterrence”

• Robin Collins (CPG) & Andrew Rasiulis (CGAI)

10:35am-10:45am – Coffee Break

10:45am-11:45am – Panel 2: “Amidst the Ruins of Agreements – Can Arms Control be Revived?”

• Peggy Mason (CPG) & Tariq Rauf (CPG)

11:45am-12:45pm – Panel 3: “Military Applications of AI – Can the Juggernaut be Controlled?

• Branka Marijan (Project Ploughshares) & Sam Vaez (CPG)

12:45pm-2:00pm – LUNCH 

2:00pm-3:00pm – Panel 4: “Arctic Security, Golden Dome and Military Spending – How Best to Apply the Windfall”

• Ernie Regehr (Simons Foundation) & Walter Dorn (CFC/CPG)

3:00pm-3:15pm – Coffee Break

3:15pm-4:15pm – Panel 5: “Space Security Cooperation – A Vital if Elusive Goal”

• Jessica West (Project Ploughshares) & Paul Meyer (CPG/OSI)

4:15pm-5:15pm – Panel 6: “Opportunities for Canadian Leadership in Middle Power Diplomacy”

• Michael Manulak (Carleton/CPG) & David Angell, Associate Deputy Minister (GAC)

5:15pm-5:30pm – Concluding Remarks