The Canadian International Council / Conseil International du Canada

10/07/2026

👏Couchiching 2026 is officially here!

Today, we turn to the question of Canada’s economic future for our third panel.

As Canada navigates shifting trade relationships, a changing global economy, and growing pressure to strengthen competitiveness, what will it take to build an economy that can thrive in the years ahead?

Moderated by Helene Emorine, Panel 3 brings together Jason Macdonald, Dr. Tu Nguyen, and Ali Jaffery.

The conversation will explore investment, competitiveness, policy, institutions, growth and the choices that will shape Canada’s economic future.

We look forward to the conversations today at CIC Couchiching 2026!

10/06/2026

🤖Panel 2 Lineup: Technology, Security, and the New Balance of Power

As emerging technologies reshape how countries compete, defend themselves, and exercise sovereignty, Canada faces important questions about how to keep pace.

Moderated by Benjamin Lopez-Steven, this panel brings together Jaxson Khan, Matthew Da Mota, Amal Hussein, and Nathalie DiBerardino for a conversation on how Canada can harness emerging technologies to strengthen its security, sovereignty, and global competitiveness.

📅 Tomorrow, October 7
📍 Aga Khan Museum, Toronto

The future of technology, security, and power takes centre stage tomorrow at CIC Couchiching 2026!

10/06/2026

⭕️Canada doesn’t need to build everything.

In his latest Open Canada op-ed, Jaxson Khan argues that Canada should make strategic bets in areas where we can become critical to future global supply chains, from AI infrastructure and safety to quantum technology.

The goal isn’t total self-sufficiency. It’s building the capabilities, expertise, and trusted partnerships that give Canada meaningful leverage in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Khan will explore these questions further at CIC Couchiching 2026 as a speaker on Panel 2: Technology, Security and the New Balance of Power, alongside additional leaders examining how Canada can harness emerging technologies to strengthen its security, sovereignty, and global competitiveness.

📖 Read the full article on Open Canada: https://opencanada.org/canada-can-become-critical-to-the-world-if-we-make-the-right-bets-on-ai-and-emerging-technologies/

10/06/2026

📢Couchiching is almost here!

Tomorrow, we kick things off with our first panel, New Coalitions for a New World, for a conversation about Canada’s place in a changing world.

As global alliances shift and the international order faces growing uncertainty, where does Canada turn to build new partnerships and strengthen its position on the world stage?

Join moderator Rodginie Dorcent, alongside Sascha Priewe, Kyle Matthews, Whitney Lackenbauer, and Sabine Sparwasser for a discussion on how Canada can work with allies, middle powers, and regional partners to address geopolitical instability.

📅 Tomorrow, October 7
📍 Aga Khan Museum, Toronto

The countdown is almost over. We’ll see you tomorrow at CIC Couchiching 2026!

10/05/2026

⭕️What will it take for Canadian businesses to compete in an increasingly volatile global economy?

In the latest Open Canada op-ed, Dr. Tu Nguyen examines what Canadian businesses must embrace to remain competitive amid a rapidly changing global economy. She argues that Canadian businesses can strengthen their competitiveness and resilience by scaling up, investing in technology, and diversifying their customers and suppliers.

Read the full article here on Open Canada👇
https://opencanada.org/what-canadian-businesses-must-embrace-to-compete-in-a-volatile-global-economy/

Dr. Nguyen will also be bringing these ideas to CIC Couchiching 2026, where she will join us as a speaker on our third Panel of the day, Competing for Canada’s Economic Future.

10/01/2026

📢PANEL THREE MODERATOR: HÉLÈNE EMORINE

We are pleased to announce our final moderator of CIC Couchiching 2026, Hélène Emorine for our third panel of the day, Competing for Canada's Economic Future.

Hélène Emorine is the Manager of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy at Sun Life where she leads Sun Life's multilateral affairs strategy, advancing engagement with international organizations, policymakers, and global stakeholders. Previously, she worked for the Government of Canada as a climate diplomat and represented Canada as the lead negotiator for loss and damage in United Nations climate change negotiations. She was also senior policy advisor at Deloitte’s Future of Canada Centre where she worked on thought leadership and advised the firm’s senior executives on public policy and geopolitics.

Hélène holds a HBA in International Relations from the University of Toronto and an MSc in Global Governance & Diplomacy from the University of Oxford.

Register now to hear from Hélène and other leaders at CIC Couchiching 2026👇
https://thecic.org/couchichingoct2026/

10/01/2026

🗞️September edition of The National Brief is here!

Check out what the CIC was up to for the month of September in our LinkedIn newsletter.

Read the latest issue and subscribe to the CIC LinkedIn newsletter to stay connected with our latest events, analysis, and perspectives.

Read the newsletter here👉https://lnkd.in/p/g9Zd_nJu

🗞️September edition of The National Brief is here! Check out what the CIC was up to for the month of September. Read the latest issue and subscribe to the CIC newsletter to stay connected with our latest events, analysis, and perspectives.

09/30/2026

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, we honour residential school Survivors, remember the children who never returned home, and recognize the lasting impacts of the residential school system on First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, families and communities.

Orange Shirt Day began in Williams Lake, B.C., in 2013, inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story of the new orange shirt her grandmother had given her being taken on her first day at residential school. The orange shirt symbolizes the loss of culture, freedom and self-esteem that many Indigenous children experienced in the residential school system, and the lasting effects of this.

Reconciliation requires more than remembrance. It means learning the history of residential schools, engaging with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and listening to Indigenous voices and perspectives.

At the CIC, we believe informed public dialogue has a role to play when it is grounded in that history and guided by Indigenous voices. We invite our community to read the CIC’s Statement on Reconciliation with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples, explore resources from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, and learn about the Indigenous Nations and treaty relationships connected to where they live.

09/29/2026

📢PANEL TWO MODERATOR: BENJAMIN LOPEZ-STEVEN

Meet Benjamin Lopez-Steven, associate producer of CBC Radio’s top political show, The House, and digital writer with CBC Politics, who will moderate our second panel, Technology, Security and the New Balance of Power, at CIC Couchiching 2026.

This panel will explore how Canada can harness emerging technologies to strengthen its security, sovereignty and global competitiveness, with Steven-Lopez guiding the conversation.

Join our panel of experts to discuss the role technology will play in shaping Canada’s future.

Register now to secure your spot at Couchiching 2026👇
https://thecic.org/couchichingoct2026/

09/28/2026

🎙️ MEET OUR PANEL MODERATOR: RODGINIE DORCENT

With all of our CIC Couchiching speakers now announced, we’re introducing the moderators who will help guide the conversations throughout the day.

For panel one, New Coalitions for a New World, we’re pleased to welcome Rodginie Dorcent, a peacebuilding practitioner and Saul Rae Fellow at Massey College.

Dorcent holds a Master's in Counselling Psychology and Global Mental Health from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

As a Saul Rae Fellow at Massey College, she is developing a peacebuilding initiative in Haiti focused on dialogue, community resilience, and support for survivors of gender-based violence in conflict-affected communities. Her work is informed by experience in Haiti, as well as international leadership and peacebuilding programs. She is an alumna of the inaugural Young Women Peacebuilders Programme of UN Women and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), and of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

Her research interests explore how collective trauma, and perceptions of justice shape political trust, social cohesion, and the sustainability of peace in conflict and post-conflict areas. Through her community, and international work, Rodginie is studying how international cooperation can support sustainable peace and the agency of conflict-affected communities.

Explore the ideas shaping Canada’s future at CIC Couchiching 2026.

🔗Register here: https://thecic.org/couchichingoct2026/