Christopher Bishop

Christopher W. Bishop is Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow at the University of Ottawa Centre for International Policy Studies. He also serves as a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. A career U.S. Foreign Service Officer, he is currently on leave from the U.S. Department of State.

He served most recently as First Secretary for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he was the Embassy’s primary analyst of Chinese internal politics and the Communist Party leadership. He has also served overseas in Taiwan, Japan, and Sudan, and in Washington at the Department of State, where he was Special Assistant to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and later to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and pursued advanced studies in history at St. Antony’s College, Oxford. He also holds a master’s degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and masters degrees in history from Yale University. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.

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Yves Brodeur

Yves Brodeur was born in Montréal, and is a graduate of Université Laval in Québec City. He became a member of the Senior Management team of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada in 2003, first as Director General (Communications) and then as Assistant Deputy Minister and Political Director (Afghanistan, International Security). Mr. Brodeur was Ambassador to Turkey from 2005 to 2007 and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to NATO from 2011 to 2015.

As a professional diplomat since 1982, Mr. Brodeur had a diverse career cumulating high responsibility mandates at the Privy Council Office, Headquarters as well as various Canadian diplomatic missions abroad. He was also Spokesperson and Head of Communications at NATO from 2001 to 2003.

Ambassador Brodeur retired in 2015.

Yves Brodeur est natif de Montréal et a complété ses études universitaires à l’université Laval de Québec. Il a accédé au rang d’ambassadeur en 2005. Il a aussi été membre de l’équipe de haute direction du ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international du Canada depuis 2003, d’abord à titre de Directeur général (Communications) puis de Sous-ministre adjoint et Directeur politique (Afghanistan, Sécurité internationale). 

Diplomate de carrière au service du ministère des Affaires étrangères du Canada depuis 1982, Monsieur Brodeur a eu une carrière très diversifiée cumulant des postes de responsabilité tant au Conseil Privé, à la Centrale qu’à l’étranger au sein des missions diplomatiques du Canada ainsi qu’à l’OTAN dont il a été le porte-parole de 2001 à 2003. Il a été Ambassadeur auprès de la République Turque (2005-2007) et Ambassadeur et Représentant permanent du Canada à l'OTAN (2011-2015).

L'Ambassadeur Brodeur est à la retraite depuis 2015.P

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George Brookman

George Brookman is well known in Calgary’s business and volunteer community. He is a third-generation Albertan and was born in Calgary. Most of his early career was spent in the Real Estate Development Industry; initially with Manulife Financial and then later as Vice-President of Development for ATCO Ltd. Most of this time was in the development and operation of high rise commercial and residential buildings.

In 1984, he acquired West Canadian Industries Group, Canada’s leading digital print and document management organization. The company operates as West Canadian Digital Imaging in Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray. In addition to his own company, Mr. Brookman serves on the Board of Directors of Obsidian Energy and currently as the Chairman of the Board. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Calgary Flames Foundation and the Calgary Stampede Foundation.

As a volunteer, Mr. Brookman is the Past President and Chairman of the Board of the Calgary Stampede; Past Chairman of Tourism Calgary, past Director of Travel Alberta and Past President of the Downtown Rotary Club of Calgary which has presented him with a Paul Harris Fellowship.

In 2014, Mr. Brookman conceived and chaired a new event, "Breakfast on the Bridge" on behalf of the Military Family Resource Centre. The three events have netted over $500,000.00 for MFRC. Over several years, Mr. Brookman has organized fund raisers for a variety of Charities, Arts & Cultural Organizations. His efforts have generated on excess of five million dollars including funding for a major art installation in Quebec City.

Mr. Brookman was a founder of "Transformation Calgary", a group of Calgary business leaders determined to enhance the quality of life in Calgary through encouraging development of sports, arts and cultural facilities within the city.

Mr. Brookman has been awarded the Pinnacle Award for Business; the Distinguished Business Leader Award from the Haskayne School of Business and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Calgary Board of Education. He has also received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Province of Alberta Centennial Medal and the Senate of Canada 150 Medal. In 2014, George received an Honorary Degree in Applied Technology from S.A.I.T. Polytechnic.

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Joseph Caron

Joseph Caron was born in Windsor, Ontario. He graduated from the Université d’Ottawa with an Honors B.A. in 1970.

Mr. Caron joined the Trade Commissioner Service in 1972, and served abroad in Saigon and Ankara, Turkey.  In 1975, he began Japanese language studies, and subsequently served four times at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, including as Minister and Head of Chancery.

During the 1980s, he undertook private-sector assignments with responsibilities in Japan,  China, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan.  He served as Manager for Asia for the Council of Forest Industries of British Columbia, based in Tokyo, from 1984 to 1987. He also worked briefly for the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, responsible for South and South East Asia.

In Ottawa, he has held several positions related to Asian and international economic affairs, including serving in the Foreign and Defense Secretariat of the Privy Council Office under Prime Minister Trudeau. He was also deeply involved in G-8 Summitry, actively participating, over the years, in eight Economic Summit Meetings.

In 1998, he became Assistant Deputy Minister for Asia-Pacific at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and served as Canada’s Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, responsible for managing the Canadian participation in APEC including the Leaders annual summit.

From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Caron served as Canada’s Ambassador to the Peoples’ Republic of China, with concurrent accreditation to North Korea and Mongolia.

From 2005 to 2008, he was Canada’s Ambassador to Japan.

In 2008, Ambassador Caron was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, for his efforts in developing the Canada-Japan relationship.

In August 2008, Mr. Caron became High Commissioner to the Republic of India, with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and the Kingdom of Bhutan. He served in India for two years, and retired from the Canadian Foreign Service during the summer of 2010.

In the fall of 2010, Mr. Caron was appointed to the Board of Directors of Manulife Financial Corporation. Manulife is one of Canada's largest financial institutions, in both insurance and wealth management, with extensive interests in the United States, Japan, China and throughout Southeast Asia.

In September, 2011, he was also appointed to the Board of Directors of Vancouver International Airport.

In October, 2011, he was accorded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by York University and the Schulich School of Business for his work in India on behalf of the Schulich School.

After serving as a member of the Advisory Council to the Board of Directors of Westport Innovations Inc. for almost two years, in August, 2014, Mr. Caron was invited to join the full Board. Westport is the world's leading technology company in the rapidly expanding field of LNG and other gaseous fuels to power on and off road vehicles. It has collaboration agreements with 7 of the world's largest automobile companies and 3 of the 4 largest truck engine companies. 

He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and a Professor and Honorary Research Associate at the Institute of Asian Research of the University of British Columbia.

Mr. Caron has established Joseph Caron Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

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Timothy Choi

Timothy Choi is completing his Ph.D. at the University of Calgary's Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies, where his dissertation is entitled, “Maritime Strategies of the North: The Seapower of Smaller Maritime Forces in an Era of Broadened Security.” It asks how the Danish, Norwegian, and Canadian maritime forces developed in response to the adoption and legitimization of the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, and whether smaller forces have generalizable differences in such responses compared to larger ones. This has seen him sailing with Danish and Norwegian patrol vessels to gain deeper insights into the tactical level of peacetime naval activities. He is a former Smith Richardson Predoctoral Fellow at Yale University's International Security Studies, where he worked with Professor Paul Kennedy, and is also a Research Fellow at Dalhousie University's Centre for the Study of Security and Development. He serves on the editorial board of and is the photo editor at the Canadian Naval Review.  Outside of academia, his interests and expertise include scale ship modeling, photography, and social media outreach. His most recent publications include the following: 

• 2021 “Danish Naval Evolution in the Arctic: Developments through the Unipolar Moment.” In Navies in Multipolar Worlds, edited by Paul Kennedy and Evan Wilson. London: Routledge. Forthcoming October 15, 2020.
• 2020 “Maritime Militarization in the Arctic: Identifying Civil-Military Dependencies.” In Arctic Yearbook 2020. Forthcoming late October 2020.
• 2020 “Editorial: Not for Sale: Trump, Greenland, and Danish Naval Diplomacy.” Canadian Naval Review 15, no. 3: 2-4. 
• 2020 “Sea Control by Other Means: Norwegian Coast Guard Operations under International Maritime Law.” Ocean Development and International Law 51, no. 1: 35-46.
• 2019 “Ready to Secure: A Sea Control Perspective on Canadian Fisheries Enforcement.” In Grey and White Hulls: An International Analysis of the Navy-Coastguard Nexus, edited by Ian Bowers and Collin Koh Swee Lean, 223-244. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan.

Jocelyn Coulon

Jocelyn Coulon, Research Fellow at the Montreal Centre for International Studies, is an analyst, author and researcher, specializing in peace operations and international policy. In 2016-2017, he was Senior policy advisor to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Dion. Previously was on the advisory council of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (then the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute) for 10 years, and is also a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

In the past few years, he has published a number of books, including, in 1998, Soldiers of Diplomacy: The United Nations, Peacekeeping, and The New World Order, University of Toronto Press, and in 2004, L'agression: Les États-Unis, l'Irak et le monde, both published by Athéna Éditions.

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Don Douglas

Mr. Douglas is an active businessman/investor with a history in real estate development. He was President of United Communities Inc. and its predecessor companies from 1984 until February 2014.

Mr. Douglas is a founder and director of United Active Living, a private company involved in seniors’ care. He is the Past Chairman of the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts and Past Chairman of the Delta Waterfowl Foundation. Mr. Douglas continues to serve on a number of other commercial boards.

Mr. Douglas holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from IMEDE Management Development Institute in Lausanne, Switzerland and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta. Mr. Douglas has his commercial pilot’s license and is an avid hunter and fisherman.

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Paul Durand

Paul Durand has worked internationally in both the private and public sectors. He was educated in Canada, obtaining a B.A. (Political Economy) from the University of Toronto, and pursued further studies in international relations and economics at Northwestern University in Chicago and Carleton University in Ottawa. He joined the Canadian government after working in international banking in Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States.

During his career, Mr. Durand specialized in Latin America but also served in East Africa and South Asia. He worked for the Canadian International Development Agency and in the Privy Council Office, before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

In the foreign service, Mr. Durand served as ambassador to Costa Rica, with concurrent accreditation to Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, and subsequently as ambassador to Chile, then to the Organization of America States (OAS) in Washington. From 2007 until 2009 he was the resident representative of the OAS in the Dominican Republic.

Mr. Durand has led and participated in numerous electoral observer missions in Central and South America, and remains involved in Latin American Economic and political issues. He is a member of the board of Brazil Minerals Inc., a US-based gold and diamond mining company with operations in Brazil, and a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Group of Agnico-Eagle Mines, a Canadian gold mining company. He is also on the advisory board of VisionAmericas, a Washington-based consulting firm focussed on Latin America. He is an active member of the Canadian International Council’s Latin America Group. 

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Bob Fowler

During his 38 year Public Service career, Bob Fowler was the Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Ministers Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Canada’s longest serving Ambassador to the United Nations (where he represented Canada on the Security Council in 1999 and 2000 and issued 2 ground-breaking reports on sanctions-busting in Angola, which cut off UNITA’s access to the arms bazaar and led to the end of the civil war which had ravished Angola for 25 years). He was Ambassador to Italy and the 3 Rome-Based UN Food Agencies, Sherpa for the Kananaskis G8 Summit (for which he chaired the creation of the Africa Action Plan), and the Personal Representative for Africa of Prime Ministers Chrétien, Martin and Harper. Mr. Fowler retired from the Federal Public Service in the fall of 2006, and is now a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

In July 2008, The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, appointed Mr. Fowler to be his Special Envoy to Niger, with the rank of Under-Secretary-General in the Secretariat of the UN.

While acquitting his UN mission, Mr. Fowler and his colleague, Louis Guay, were captured by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on 14 December 2008, and held hostage in the Sahara Desert for 130 days.

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Dan Hays

Dan Hays has been a member of the Macleod Dixon law firm (now Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP) since his call to the Bar in 1966. He is a senior partner with Norton Rose Fulbright and has been active in different practice areas, most recently in corporate commercial and international operations. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Trudeau in 1984 and retired from the Senate in 2007.

During his years in the Senate, Dan held a number of leadership positions and at different times served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, the Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources and the Special Committee on Senate Reform 2006. He has been a proponent of and has written about Senate modernization and reform.

He served as President of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1994 to 1998. In 1999 he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, and in 2001, Prime Minister Chretien appointed him Speaker of the Senate, a position he continued to hold under Prime Minister Martin. Following the 2006 federal general election, he was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. On January 22, 2007, he was made a Privy Councillor by Prime Minister Harper.

Dan is proud to have served as an Honourary Colonel (now retired) of the King's Own Calgary Regiment. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta, B.A. 1962 and the University of Toronto, LLB 1965. Dan lives in Calgary.

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General (Ret'd) Raymond Henault, CMM, MSC, CD

General Ray Henault was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1949. He enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1968.

General Henault is a forty-year veteran of the Canadian Forces. His military career began in 1968 as a pilot and included a wide variety of command and staff positions including Commander of 444 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, Base Commander CFB Portage la Prairie, Commander of 10 Tactical Air Group, Chief of Staff Operations at Air Command Headquarters in Winnipeg, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, and in June 2001, appointment as the Chief of the Defence Staff in Ottawa. General Henault was in command of the Canadian Forces when 9/11 occurred, and guided and managed the CF response over the course of almost the next four years. In 2004, he was elected by his peers to be the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, a position that he assumed from June 2005 until his retirement from the Canadian Forces in 2008. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba; an Honorary Doctorate of Military Science from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario; and, holds the position of Honorary Professor of the University of Pecs, Hungary. General Henault is also a graduate of Canada’s National Defence College and the École supérieure de guerre aérienne (ESGA) in Paris. He is the longest-serving 4-star General in Canadian history, and retired from the Canadian Forces in August 2008. General Henault is now the Strategic Executive Advisor and Chairman of the Board for ADGA Group Consultants in Ottawa, Ontario. He is also a Director on the Board of Airbus Helicopters Canada Ltd, Discovery Air Inc., the Pearson Centre, and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba. General Henault has 5000 hours of military and civilian flying time and remains active as a pilot.  He resides in Ottawa, ON with his wife Loraine.

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Sheila M. McIntosh, MBA ICD.C

Sheila has over 30 years of experience in both private industry and government, working for the past 15 years on the leadership teams of several large-cap companies in the energy and transportation sectors. She has broad experience in the management of corporate reputation, corporate and social responsibility, environmental performance, communications and stakeholder relations including investors, government, media, employees, local communities and Aboriginal partners. Most recently she was Executive Vice President, Environment & Corporate Affairs at Cenovus Energy. She has significant experience in major corporate transactions, being a key contributor to the break-up of Canadian Pacific Limited into five publicly traded companies, the merger of PanCanadian and Alberta Energy to form Encana and the split of Encana to form Cenovus. Prior to joining the private sector she worked for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs in New York City. Sheila has an MBA from McGill University as well as a BLS from the University of Alberta and a BA from Brandon University. She is currently a director of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a member of the Haskayne School of Business Management Advisory Council.

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Anne McGrath

Consistently identified as one of the 100 most influential people in government and politics in Ottawa, Anne McGrath brings extensive experience and knowledge of federal politics, the trade union movement, the NGO sector, social justice organizations, and the NDP at every level.

Anne served as chief of staff to Official Opposition New Democratic Party leaders Jack Layton, Nycole Turmel, and Thomas Mulcair, where she provided political advice to both the leader and caucus.

Anne is credited with professionalizing NDP caucus operations, leading an effective staff team of more than 700, and providing critical strategic advice, including working as part of the core team in the historic 2011 election that resulted in the NDP gaining official opposition status.

Anne also served as President of the New Democratic Party of Canada from 2006 until 2009.

Throughout her career, Anne has been actively involved in education, organized labour, and equality issues. Prior to the October 2008 general election, Anne was National Equality Director for the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Anne has held a variety of positions with not-for-profit organizations including working as Canadian Programme Officer for OXFAM-Canada and Community Development Team Leader and Senior Education Officer for the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Anne is portrayed by Gemini-award winning actress Wendy Crewson in the movie “Jack – The Jack Layton Story”.

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Jack Mintz

Dr. Jack M. Mintz is the President’s Fellow of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary after serving as the Palmer Chair and founding Director from January 1, 2008 to June 30, 2015.

He also serves on the boards of Imperial Oil Limited and Morneau Shepell and is the National Policy Advisor for Ernst & Young. Since October 2018, he has also become a Senior Fellow, Massey College in Toronto.

Dr. Mintz held the position of Professor of Business Economics at the Rotman School of Business from 1989-2007 and Department of Economics at Queen’s University, Kingston, 1978-89. He was a Visiting Professor, New York University Law School, 2007; President and CEO of the C. D. Howe Institute from 1999-2006; Clifford Clark Visiting Economist at the Department of Finance, Ottawa; and Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty of Management, University of Toronto, 1993 – 1995. He was founding Editor-in-Chief of International Tax and Public Finance, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers from 1994 – 2001.

He chaired the federal government’s Technical Committee on Business Taxation in 1996 and 1997 that led to corporate tax reform in Canada since 2000. He also served on numerous panels and boards at the federal and provincial levels including Vice-President and chair of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council 2012-2018.

Dr. Mintz has consulted widely with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, federal and provincial governments in Canada, and various businesses and non-profit organizations in Canada and abroad.

Dr. Mintz became a member of the Order of Canada in 2015 as well as receiving the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for service to the Canadian tax policy community.

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Bob Rae

Bob Rae is a senior partner at Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, where he works with First Nations across Canada as legal counsel, advisor, and negotiator. He served as Ontario's 21st Premier from 1990 to 1995 and Interim Federal Leader of the Liberal Party in 2011- 2013. He was named Queen's Counsel in 1984, appointed to the Privy Council of Canada in 1998, named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000, received the Order of Ontario in 2004 and Companion of the Order of Canada in 2015. In addition to his legal practice, Bob teaches at the University of Toronto as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the School of Public Policy and Governance (SPPG). He has also written five books, most recently "What's Happened to Politics". He has a regular column in the Globe and Mail and also does ADR work with ADR Chambers.

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Darren Schemmer

Darren Schemmer recently returned to Vancouver after a 25-year career in international development and foreign affairs.

Mr. Schemmer joined the Canadian Foreign Service in 1989 as a Development Officer with the Andes Program of the Canadian International Development Agency. He served abroad in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Washington, D.C., U.S.A; Cairo, Egypt; and most recently Accra, Ghana where he was High Commissioner of Canada to Ghana and Ambassador to Togo. At headquarters he has served as Senior Departmental Assistant to the Minister for International Cooperation; as Director General of Policy, Planning and Management for Americas Branch; as Director-General for Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic and most recently as Assistant Deputy Minister for Partnerships.

Mr. Schemmer currently teaches online and provides management consulting services through Executive Insight Consulting. He also co-chairs the board of the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation and is on the board of CESO (formerly Canadian Executive Service Organization).

Multilingual, Mr. Schemmer holds a Baccalauréat en éducation from the Faculté Saint-Jean of the University of Alberta (1982), a Certificate in Organization Development from Georgetown University (1999) and a Master of Business Administration from Royal Roads University (2002).

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Hugh Segal

The Principal Emeritus of Massey College (2014 - 2019), Mr. Segal has spent many years in public service and political roles, including Associate Cabinet Secretary (Federal-Provincial Affairs) in Ontario and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister. In his Ontario role, he was involved in the negotiations to patriate the Canadian constitution from the U.K. and create the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Special Senate Committee on Anti-Terrorism between 2005 and 2014. During this period he served as Canada's Special Envoy to the Commonwealth and a member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group on reform and modernization. He is a former President of the Institute for Research on Public Policy in Montreal, a present Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs, and a Senior Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute in the UK. He is a Mathews Fellow in Global Public Policy at the Queen's School of Policy Studies, and a lecturer at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University, where he was Associate Director of the Public Executive Program. He holds honorary doctorates from the Royal Military College of Canada, the University of Ottawa, and Queen's University. He served in the past as Co-Chair of the Democracy-10 Strategy Group based at the Atlantic Council in Washington, was Chair of the NATO Association of Canada, and was both an Honorary Naval Captain and is Honorary Chair of the Navy League of Canada. He has written seven books on public policy, politics, and international affairs, of which the most recent, "Bootstraps Need Boots" was published in 2019 by UBC Press. He has also been a director of public and private companies in the alcohol, food, construction, financial, and energy sectors, and is the former Honorary Naval Captain of the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

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Gilbert W. Taylor

During a career spanning several decades in the Canadian film, video, theatrical and television industry, he has produced over five hundred projects from feature length films to 30 second spots. Taylor was a major, independent, producer/director/writer for Canada’s Department of National Defence for more than thirty years. He was a founding member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, a co-founder of Agincourt Productions and an early consultant to Canada’s original Film Development Corporation.

Often credited as an influence on live theatre in Canada, his successful productions set theatrical records for long runs and artistic quality. They included, “Fortune and Men’s Eyes”, “Marat Sade” and work with John F Bassett on the presentation of “Hair”. A production of Edinburgh Festival winning, “Futz” resulted in a legal battle for artistic freedom that caused significant changes in Canada’s theatrical world.

He has produced many live concert presentations including the keynote concert event at Roy Thompson Hall for the Prince Harry’s Invictus Games. Also known as a writer, he has written several books and worked with many of Canada’s major publications. He currently writes a frequent column for Sun Media’s Toronto Sun and is completing a new book, “Bob and Me”.

He was commissioned into the Reserve with the Queen’s York Rangers and served two terms as HColonel of the Toronto Scottish Regiment. Among his many volunteer appointments, he is immediate past president of the Royal Canadian Military Institute, Past Chair of Commissionaires Great Lakes and member of the National Board, served on the National Council of Honorary Colonels, was President of Royal Canadian Legion branch 165, President of Last Post Fund Ontario and on the National Executive, Volunteer of the Year for UNICEF and more.

He has received many awards and honours including Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

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Brad Wall

Brad Wall served as the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan. Winning majorities in 2007, 2011 and 2016 he was Premier for 10 years until retiring from politics in early 2018.

Under Wall’s leadership, the Saskatchewan party secured over 60% of the popular vote in both 2011 and 2016, the highest vote percentages in Saskatchewan history.

Wall’s government implemented an ambitious goal-oriented growth plan in 2007, updated in 2012. The plan focused the government on competitive taxes (historic reductions in income tax, property tax and small business tax), effective but efficient regulations, balanced labor laws, historic and strategic infrastructure investment, diversification through innovation (first ever patent box innovation tax incentive in North America), as well as international engagement and export promotion.

At the end of Wall’s tenure there were 60,000 more jobs in Saskatchewan, 160,000 more people, a 46% increase in exports including an 84% increase in merchandise exports, and a 123% increase in wholesale trade.

During this decade of growth Saskatchewan also earned its first ever AAA credit rating which it maintained through a difficult and prolonged commodity price down cycle. The government also paid down its operating debt by $1 billion and had the second lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the country.

Wall credits the people, the private sector, and the natural resources strength of Saskatchewan for its transformation into a ‘have’ province whose economy is forecast by RBC to lead the country in growth in 2018 and 2019. He believes, however, that government policies are key to setting the tone and creating the right environment for sustained economic growth.

He has often said that growth is not an end in itself. Rather it is the quality of life that is supported by a strong economy and a strong but competitive tax base that should be the goal.

Wall’s government used the strength of sustained growth to transform the longest wait times for surgery into among the shortest in Canada though private sector innovations, eliminated a waitlist for group homes spaces for the intellectually disabled, built 40 new and replacement schools and funded the construction of the Children’s Hospital - a first for Saskatchewan.

Brad is married to Tami, a Civil Engineer, who is involved in leadership roles with the Red Cross and in local music. They have 3 grown children and live in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

Brad is a music lover ...outlaw country music, Cash and Elvis top his list. He may or may not own Waylon Jennings’ 1973 Eldorado.

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Charity Weeden

Charity Weeden is a 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force where she served as operator, manager, and diplomat for air and space applications in various posts. Her last assignment in the Canadian Armed Forces was as Assistant Attaché of Air & Space Operations at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC, liaising with the U.S. Government and Embassy space community. Weeden has also held positions at the Canadian Space Agency, NORAD and USNORTHCOM Headquarters, and U.S. Air Force Space Command, where she was responsible for providing analysis of U.S. Space Surveillance Network satellite observations. She started her Air Force career as a long-range maritime patrol Air Navigator on the CP-140 Aurora, conducting sovereignty operations in the North, fishery and pollution patrols, search and rescue operations, and submarine tracking. Weeden now works in the space industry from Washington, DC.

Weeden is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada (BEng) and the University of North Dakota (MSc). She has also participated in certificate programs at both the Brookings Institute (Policy Strategy) and the International Space University.

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John Weekes

John Weekes is a former senior Canadian trade official and negotiator whose active involvement in trade matters spans more than 5 decades. He brings a strategic perspective to analysing the evolution of the trading system and its rules and how they interact with other policy spheres including changing concepts on the role of governments in modern societies and fundamental shifts in the international security situation.

He has an insider's perspective on how governments approach the negotiation, implementation and management of trade agreements and trade relations, and the settlement of trade disputes. With his considerable experience he has assisted businesses and governments in developing strategies to advance and protect their interests. He enjoys opportunities to think outside the box and elaborate innovative solutions to key challenges in the trading system.

He has represented Canada in trade negotiations and at various international trade meetings. He was Canada’s ambassador to the WTO (World Trade Organization) from 1995 to 1999. From 1991 to 1994 he served as Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA and its side agreements on cooperation in the areas of labour and environment. He was ambassador to GATT during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations. In the 1970s, he participated in the Tokyo Round of GATT negotiations as well as in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He has chaired many international bodies including the General Council of the WTO and the GATT Council.

Most recently he served as a senior business adviser at Bennett Jones LLP from 2010 until his retirement from the firm in December 2021. In 1999 he left the Canadian government but remained in Geneva to join APCO Worldwide (a Washington-based international public affairs consultancy). In 2003 he joined the American law firm Sidley Austin. He returned from Geneva to Canada in 2009.

He continues to be an active participant in the work of the Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG) based in Geneva, the North American Forum, the Management Board of the Advisory Centre on WTO Law in Geneva, the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (where he is a fellow), and the Trade Advisory Council to the Deputy Minister of International Trade. He is also a frequent contributor to The Brookings Institution USMCA Initiative.  He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Remaking the Global Trading System for a Sustainable Future Project lead by the Yale School of the Environment, the Yale Law School and the Yale School of Management; the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy, and Services at the University of the West Indies Barbados; and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

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Rob Wright

Rob Wright served as Canadian Ambassador to China from 2005-2009. He served as Ambassador to Japan from 2001-2005.

From 1995-2001 he was Canadian Deputy Minister for International Trade.

Over his 38 years in public service in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade other appointments included:

• Deputy Head of the Canadian Embassy in Washington,
• Director General responsible for Canada-U.S. relations,
• Deputy Head of the Canadian Delegation to the WTO Uruguay Round of Trade Negotiations, and,
• Delegation to the GATT Tokyo Round of Trade Negotiations.

He has also served as a Director of Export Development Canada (EDC), Chairman of the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) and Commissioner of the Northern Pipeline Agency. During his appointment in China he was concurrently accredited as Canadian Ambassador to Mongolia.

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