AmbCanada – CIPS Conference
Finding Canada’s Place in a Disordered World
University of Ottawa, May 12, 2025
In light of the unprecedented challenges currently confronting Canada’s prosperity, security, and sovereignty, AmbCanada is organizing its first ever foreign policy conference on 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. We are delighted that the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) at the University of Ottawa has agreed to co-sponsor this important initiative.
Date: Monday 12 May 2025
Time: 13:00–17:00 EDT
Venue: Faculty of Social Sciences Building, Room 4007
Address: 120 University Private, University of Ottawa
Cost: $20 per person (pre-registration required)
PROGRAMME
12:00 Informal lunch (sandwiches included with registration)
13:00 Welcome and Scene Setting
Alexandra Gheciu, Director, Centre for International Policy Studies, uOttawa
Michael Small, President, Canadian Ambassadors Alumni Association
13:15 How Much Can We Rely on Our Traditional Alliances?
Moderator: Rob McRae, former Canadian Ambassador to NATO
Panellists: 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
14:30 How Should We Engage the Rest of the World?
Moderator: Patricia Fortier, former Canadian Ambassador to Peru and Bolivia
Panellists: 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.
15:45 How Does This Change Our Diplomacy?
Moderator: Alexandra Bugailiskis, former Canadian Ambassador to Italy
Panellists: 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
16:45 Concluding Reflections
Senator Peter Boehm, Senate of Canada
17:00 Reception and Cash Bar
Directions for parking and a map of the building will be provided after registration.
This event is open to the public. Please forward this message to others who may be interested in attending. For those unable to attend in person, the full proceedings will be live-streamed and subsequently posted on the CIPS website.
Important update: in-person attendance in now full, but you can still join us virtually through our livestream on Zoom — please register by May 12.
We hope to see you there.
