November 10, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. ET
For Canada and other middle and smaller powers facing predatory super-powers, nonviolent defence (NVD) is a strategic concept whose time has arrived.
The stench of imperial conquest is again in the air. How do middle and smaller powers defend themselves when the potential aggressor is a nearby superpower? That is Canada’s conundrum today, along with other nations facing big power threats. A solely military response to superpower aggression, assuming no rescue by a powerful ally, would not only fail, but also be devastating in casualties and destruction. There is, however, an alternative: nonviolent civilian defence.
Professor Sandbrook will explain this approach to aggression as well as why and how Canada should prepare for it. Although improvised nonviolent defence has proved a potent response historically, this strategy is most effective when resistors organize in advance. What are the prospects for Canada to prepare resistance with less violence and lower cost than a military reaction?
Join us for a dive into this subject, one that could have a profound impact on Canada’s future.
Richard Sandbrook is Vice-President of Science for Peace and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Toronto. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, he is the author or editor of fourteen books and more than fifty scholarly articles in the fields of the political economy of international development and globalization studies. His latest book, The Citizen’s Guide to Nonviolent Defence: How Canadians Can Deter Invasion, Defeat Tyranny and Build Democracy, has just been published. He is co-founder and co-coordinator of the Canadian Coalition for Nonviolent Defence and runs the Progressive Futures blog. He lives in Toronto, ON.