Oil and World Politics- Canada Plays the Oil Game too
2018-10-17 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Toronto) | St. Paul’s Eastern United Church, 473 Cumberland St, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 7K1, Canada
Pdf
Early Bird Ticket Sale – Eventbrite Only (sale ends Oct. 16th)

$5.00 – Early Bird, Student/Unwaged Ticket (Sale ends October 16, 2018)
$10.00 – Early Bird, Regular Ticket, (Sale ends October 16, 2018)
Tickets on 17th October:
$10.00 – Student/unwaged
$15 – Regular Ticket
Available at the door or through Eventbrite

Petroleum is the most valuable commodity in the world and an enormous source of wealth for those who sell it, transport it and transform it for its many uses. As the engine of modern economies and industries, governments everywhere want to assure steady supplies. Without it, their economies would grind to a standstill.
Petroleum geopolitics are complex. When clashes and conflicts occur, they are multi-dimensional. Foster’s book “Oil and World Politics. The real story of today’s conflict zones: Iraq, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ukraine, and more” explores pieces of the multi-faceted puzzle in the dark world of petroleum and fits them together.
“Petroleum geopolitics are as opaque as they are complex. This vital driver of so many of the world’s conflicts, and in particular, of western military interventions, is rarely if ever part of our public discourse. John Foster’s invaluable book changes all that. The book – and this lecture- are a must for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of global conflict and its potential resolution.” – Peggy Mason, President of the Rideau Institute

Speaker: John Foster
John Foster has spent his working life as an oil economist. He understands the underlying role played by oil and gas in international affairs. He identifies the hidden issues behind many of the conflicts in the world today. He explores military interventions (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria), tensions around international waterways (Persian Gulf, South China Sea), and use of sanctions or political interference related to petroleum trade (Iran, Russia, Venezuela). He illuminates the petroleum-related reasons for government actions usually camouflaged and rarely discussed publicly by Western politicians or media. Foster is an energy economist with more than 40 years’ experience in policy and economic issues relating to infrastructure and petroleum. While holding positions with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, Petro-Canada and BP group, he witnessed first-hand the impact of petroleum geopolitics in more than 30 countries around the world.

Making Sense of the Russia Trump Media Circus
2018-11-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Making Sense of the Russia Trump Media Circus
Featuring: Manfred Bienefeld

Tuesday, November 6, 2018
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

PDF
$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday Nov 2, 2018 by 12:00 pm
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Individuals who do not cancel their reservations at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Online Registration

According to the endlessly repeated official “line”, western powers are fully justified in waging economic and diplomatic war on all things Russian because it: has egregiously flouted international law (Crimea); lent active military support to a brutal dictator (Assad); violated the sovereignty of other countries by attacking people it considers “enemies” inside their borders (Skripal); and is actively seeking to sow dissention and influence elections in the US and elsewhere (the DNC hack). But even if all the above charges were accepted at face value, are Russia’s alleged transgressions so disproportionately more serious than those of other international actors, to justify this western hostility? After examining the available evidence, Prof. Bienefeld will argue that any Canadian truly concerned with creating a world in which international law will play a significant and effective role in protecting sovereign nations from hostile diplomatic, financial, informational or military interventions in their internal affairs, should focus on opposing the increasingly provocative and dangerous policies of NATO and its main western supporters, especially the U.S. and Canada.
Manfred Bienefeld is Professor Emeritus at Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration. Having taught, published and lectured widely on the political economy of international development his work has long focused on the key Keynesian insight that relatively unrestrained international capital flows would erode the capacity of nation states to manage their economies in response to their citizens’ needs and priorities and that this would eventually recreate the political, social and economic turmoil of the 1920s. And based on this insight he argued in a 1994 paper that dreams of a peace dividend would remain unfulfilled because, instead of moving into a multi-polar world, we were moving into a dangerous unipolar world in which the sole superpower was determined to universalize an indefensible and ultimately unsustainable neoliberal economic model.

What Would it Take to Achieve Peace in Yemen?
2018-11-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St., Ottawa, ON, K2P 2L7, Canada
Pdf
Early Bird Ticket Sale – Eventbrite Only (sale ends Nov. 13th)

$5.00 – Early Bird, Student/Unwaged Ticket (Sale ends November 13, 2018)
$10.00 – Early Bird, Regular Ticket, (Sale ends November 13, 2018)
Tickets on 17th October:
$10.00 – Student/unwaged
$15 – Regular Ticket
Available at the door or through Eventbrite
Join us on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 for a stimulating and thought provoking discussion on the current state of the conflict in Yemen, exploring into greater detail the causes of conflict, the actors involved, and the potential outcomes. Following the presentation by our panelists will be a Q&A period where participants can further discuss topics of interest with the panelists.
At this event, a table will be set out with copies of “Two Boys from Aden College” ($15) and “Forbidden Love in the Land of Sheba” ($12), written by panelist Dr.Qais Ghanem, available for purchase.

Speakers:
Dr. Qais Ghanem
From Aden, South Yemen. A graduate in medicine from the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Ghanem immigrated to Canada in 1970, where he then trained in pediatrics at Queen’s U, then in neurology and neurophysiology at Michigan U & Ottawa U. He was the former head of Neuro Lab at NDMC, Sleep Lab at OGH and Monfort H.
Dr. Mustafa Bahran
A professor of physics at Carleton University and the University of Oklahoma, Dr.Bahran served as Minister of Energy in Yemen from 2007-08 and was the founder of the National Atomic Energy Commission, as well as the co-founder of the Yemeni Scientific Research Foundation.
Dr. Najat Sasani
From the town of Ibb, in Yemen. Dr.Sasani traveled with her diplomat father to the USSR and Pakistan. A graduate of the U of Sanaa, Yemen, in medicine, she trained in pediatrics in Halifax, FRCPC. She has been living in Ottawa for nearly 3 years.

The Division of America: Looking ahead after the 2018 Midterm Elections
2018-11-27 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Sarah Goldfeder
The Division of America- Looking ahead after the 2018 Midterm Elections (PDF)

Tuesday, November 27, 2018
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday, November 23, 2018 by 12:00 pm
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with registrants info.
(preferred)
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit at the door):
3) Online
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
In all likelihood, the Democrats will retake the House of Representatives in the November 6th elections. That will set the stage for an even more divisive atmosphere in Washington, as the Democrats will now be empowered to pass legislation in Congress that reflects their values and concerns. Will the 116th Congress look to heal wounds and find ways to build bridges or will it further entrench the two tribes? What will be the impact on Canada? For the global rules of order?

Sarah Goldfeder is a Principal at the Earnscliffe Strategy Group in Ottawa and a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. She provides high-level insight on the inner workings of the U.S. and Canadian governments, including how they work together on important issues. With 15 years of experience in the U.S. federal government, Sarah most recently served as Special Assistant to two U.S. Ambassadors to Canada, fostering bilateral relationships at the most senior levels. Her understanding of the interplay between state and federal governments complements her service within the U.S. federal bureaucracy. She has expertise in a wide range of policy issues, which has enabled her to provide practical short and long-term advice on managing the economic, cultural and political dynamics in North America.

CIPS Hosts Release of Asia Foundation’s 2018 Survey of the Afghan People
2018-12-11 09:00 - 11:30 | Demarais Hall, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier Ave E, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Event Date: December 11, 2018 – 9:00am to 11:30am
Location: Faculty of Social Science 4004, 120 University Private, Ottawa
Voices of the Afghan People
The Asia Foundation releases its 14th annual public perception survey
Afghanistan is at an important moment in its history. Despite a persistent insurgency that continues to control and destabilize roughly half of the country, high levels of voter enthusiasm in the recent parliamentary elections demonstrated that the people of Afghanistan remain invested in the future of their democracy. Amid a renewed focus on political reconciliation and the upcoming presidential elections in April, citizens face important choices about Afghanistan’s future stability and prosperity. These and other pressing issues facing Afghanistan are the subject of The Asia Foundation’s 2018 Survey of the Afghan People. Please join The Asia Foundation and the Center for International Policy Studies (CIPS) at the University of Ottawa on Tuesday, December 11, for a presentation on the key findings, and a panel discussion on the trends and shifts in the views of Afghan citizens from past years. The annual survey is based on face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of more than 15,000 citizens across all 34 Afghan provinces. The results reveal citizens’ views on a wide range of crucial issues, including security, the economy, corruption, justice, youth issues, reconciliation with the Taliban, access to media, the role of women, governance and political participation. This year’s survey also includes new questions related to local security, access to government services, and elections. First commissioned in 2004, the survey provides an unmatched barometer of Afghan public opinion over time and a unique resource for policymakers and the international community, the Afghan government, and the broader public in Afghanistan.
Featuring
Dr. Tabasum Akseer, Director of Policy & Research in Afghanistan, The Asia Foundation
Dr. Nipa Banerjee, Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor at the School of International Development and Principal Researcher, Center for International Policy Studies- University of Ottawa.
Elyas Irfani, Senior Desk Officer – Afghanistan, Global Affairs Canada
Moderator
Pauline Tweedie, Senior Technical Advisor for Conflict and Development, The Asia Foundation

Democratic Transition and Peacebuilding in Ethiopia
2018-12-14 02:00 - 16:00
December 14th, 2018, 2:00-4:00pm
University of Ottawa, L’amoureux Room 220
145 Jean-Jacques-Lussier Private
December 15th, 2108, 1:00pm – 4pm
Bronson Centre
211 Bronson Ave

Ethio-Canadian Peacebuilding Network is organizing events focused on the importance of peacebuilding and national reconciliation in Ethiopia. Over the last 8 months Ethiopia has gone through unprecedented political reform that is having significant impact in laying the groundwork for democratic transition in Ethiopia and building peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship among the countries of Horn of Africa.
While the on- going changes in Ethiopia are having positive effect on the country and the region this process of reform is facing some hurdles particular in the area of peace and security. Decades of polarized political policy and the sawing of division and hatred is manifesting itself through sporadic inter-group conflicts in various parts of the country.
While the government in Ethiopia is exerting all efforts to make sure the lack of peace and security doesn’t hamper the reform process, it needs support in its effort of achieving sustainable peace in the country and the region.
It is against this backdrop that the Ottawa based Ethio-Canadian Peacebuilding Network is organizing an event entitled : Our Role in Building Sustainable Peace in Ethiopia. This event will feature two speakers: Mr. Neamin Zeleke a member of the Executive Council of Patriotic Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice Freedom and Democracy will be presenting on From Authoritarian Rule to Democracy in Ethiopia and Mr. Digafie Debalke Conflict Resolution practitioner will be discussing under the title : Building Peace through Traditional and Contemporary Peacebuilding Mechanisms (Please see the attached poster for details)
We would be grateful if you join us for this important event and also share this information with your network.
Sincerely,
Ethio- Canadian Peacebuilding Network

Bolsonaro in Power: The Why, The Ugly, and The Foggy
2019-01-29 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Jean Daudelin
Bolsonaro in Power: The Why, The Ugly, and The Foggy (PDF)

Tuesday, January 29, 2019
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday, January 25, 2018 by 12:00 pm
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with registrants info.
(preferred)
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit at the door):
3) Online
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Outline:
Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as President of Brazil on January 1st. An ultra-conservative, bitter, prejudiced and verbally aggressive admirer of Brazil’s military regime, he had been on the political and ideological fringe for more than two decades but now finds himself as the head of one of the world’s largest countries, whether by territory, population or the economy. His election, last October, was met the world over by shrill warnings of fascism and hair-raising comparisons with the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte, and Chile’s Augusto Pinochet—whom he praised during the campaign.
It remains very early to venture predictions about the likely implications of Bolsonaro’s election. A tentative picture can nonetheless be drawn, building on an analysis of the forces that took Bolsonaro to power, of the composition of his cabinet, of congressional caucuses and coalitions, of the current dynamics at the Supreme Court and in the armed forces, and of the noise coming from the state governors who were also sworn in on January 1st.
Speaker:
Jean Daudelin is Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. He has been studying Brazil since the 1980s, was visiting Professor at the University of São Paulo and is a Research Associate at the Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Políticas de Segurança, at the Federal University of Pernambuco, in Recife. With José Luiz Ratton, he has just published Illegal Markets, Violence, and Inequality, Evidence From a Brazilian Metropolis (Palgrave, 2018).

Canada and Palestine: Exploring Canada’s Historical and Contemporary Relationship with Palestine and the Palestinian People.
2019-02-22 08:00 - 19:00 | Demarais Hall, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier Ave E, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
RSVP to canpal2019@gmail.com. Please include a brief 2-line bio in your RSVP.
Co-Organizers: Professor Nadia Abu-Zahra, Professor Reem Bahdi, Professor Michael Lynk, Dr Jeremy Wildeman & Omar Burgan
Canada-Palestine Research Symposium 2019
We cordially invite you to join us on 22 February 2019 from 8 am to
7 pm at the University of Ottawa for the first Canada-Palestine Research Symposium and the launch of a Canada-Palestine research network to facilitate ongoing discussions about the understudied topic of Canada and Palestine.
Palestine looms large in Canadian foreign policy. Canada was intrinsic to the 1948 partition of Palestine and has played a key role in United Nations resolutions concerning Palestinian rights and self- determination. The Pearsonian ‘Golden Age’ of Canadian foreign policy, formative in establishing Canada’s national identity as a state independent of the British Empire, was forged out of Canada’s relationship with the Middle East and conflicts that often centred on Arab support for Palestinians. In 1992, Canada was assigned the role of ‘gavel holder’ for the highly important Refugee Working Group, as part of playing a lead role in the multilateral track of the then Middle East Peace Process. Since, 1993, Canada has also sat on the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee of major bilateral donors overseeing the foreign aid envelope and the state-building programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Canada has further since 1993 dispensed over $US 600 million in aid to Palestinians, making Canada one of the largest donors to Palestine, and making Palestinians one of Canada’s biggest ever aid recipients.
Palestine also looms large on the domestic front in Canada. Palestinian human rights advocacy and criticisms of Israel have divided Canadians in various sites including postsecondary institutions, unions, places of worship and within civil society organizations. Prime Minister Harper carried out a crackdown on Canadian civil society and research institutions working on Palestinian rights, while Prime Minister Trudeau has repeatedly denounced as ‘anti-Canadian’ campaigns to boycott, divest from or sanction Israel in response to its policies toward the Palestinians. Canadian courts, moreover, have suggested
that a commitment to Palestinian human rights may disqualify legitimate refugee claims in the national security context.
In spite of the importance of this subject to Canada and Canadians, little published work in any scholarly discipline focuses squarely on Canada and Palestine. This symposium will change that.
Over 40 participants from across Canada will discuss original research about Canada’s contemporary and historical relationship with the Palestinians. The symposium will include practitioner plenaries and scholarly panels exploring topics such: as the relationship of the Conservative and Liberal parties with Palestinians, refugee and mobility restrictions, Canadian policy towards the Palestinians and international law, perceptions of the Palestinians and relationships of power, relationships between Canadians and Palestinians outside their governments, the politics of human rights advocacy in Canada, and the significance of Canada’s relationship with Palestinians for Canada’s self-identity.
Our keynote speakers are:

Michael Lynk, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, and Professor of Law at the University of Western Ontario
Sylvia McAdam, co-founder of the international movement Idle No More, and Professor of Law at the University of Windsor

This symposium represents a unique moment in history and offers an opportunity for reflection and sharing. Ultimately, this collective study of Canada through its relationship to Palestine explores how we can do better and be better, how we can face and present our findings, and how we can keep talking with one another in academia, government, and the public realm.
Please RSVP to canpal2019@gmail.com with a brief 2-line bio.
Symposium Schedule and PDF
Supported By:

The CJPME Foundation
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
Canadian Union of Labour Employees (CULE)
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) National Region
Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) uOttawa
Community Mobilization in Crisis (CMIC) uOttawa
Conseil central de la Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
CUPE Local 4600
Faculty for Social Sciences (FSS) uOttawa
Fellowship for Reconciliation and Peace (FRAP) – Saskatoon
Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HHREC) uOttawa
Independent Jewish Voices (IJV)
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC- Canada)
National Council on Canadian Arab Relations (NCCAR)
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) National Office
Rideau Institute
School of International Development and Global Studies (SIDGS) uOttawa
UNIFOR
UNIFOR 2025
Zatoun

Faculty of Social Sciences
School of Internation Development and Global Studies

Feb 26, Luncheon Speaker Series - Canada's "Illusory Foreign Policy": How Canada Addresses the World, One Gesture at a Time
2019-02-26 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Andrew Cohen
Canada’s “Illusory Foreign Policy”: How Canada Addresses the World, One Gesture at a Time (PDF)

Tuesday, February 26, 2019
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday, February 22, 2019
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with registrants info.
(preferred)
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit at the door):
3) Online
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Andrew Cohen is an author, columnist, broadcaster, and professor of journalism at Carleton University. He teaches courses on Canada and the United States, Canada and the World, and analytical writing.
In a career of 40 years, he has written for The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, United Press International, Time, CNN.com, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, among other publications.
He has won two National Newspaper Awards and three National Magazine Awards and been awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal. He writes a weekly column for The Ottawa Citizen and appears as a commentator on CTV News Channel on U.S. politics.
His seven books cover subjects ranging from Canada’s constitutional politics to national character to Arctic exploration. His study of Canadian foreign policy — While Canada Slept: How We Lost Our Place in the World — was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction.
A native of Montreal, Professor Cohen went to McGill University, Carleton University and the University of Cambridge. He has degrees in political science, journalism and international relations.
He was correspondent and columnist for The Globe and Mail in Washington, where he recently returned as a Fulbright Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.

March 26, Luncheon Speaker Series - Can Canada Do More for Refugees?
2019-03-26 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Jean-Nicolas Beuze
Can Canada Do more for Refugees? (PDF)

Tuesday, March 26, 2019
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday, March 22, 2019
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with registrants info.
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit, debit at the door):
3) Online (Eventbrite)
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations for the lunch at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Outline
With some 25 million refugees – a record since WWII – on top of which one should add more than 40 million internally displaced, and some 250 million migrants, human mobility has become a major topic of discussion. While the overwhelming majority of those forcibly displaced will remain in the developing world where new partnerships with the private sector or international financial institutions are making us revisit the paradigms of international aid, Western countries have been prone to populist rhetoric that is leading to more and more stringent and security-focused policies. If Western media highlighted the Rohingya refugee crisis for a few months, most crises remain underreported and as a result, the gap between humanitarian funding requirements to save lives and donations – from governments in particular – is increasing. Solutions exist though – including in Canada through resettlement of the most vulnerable – although the gap between the needs and the spaces offered is similarly increasing. What is the role of Canada in addressing these challenges and seizing opportunities to do better?
Bio
Jean-Nicolas Beuze worked for more than 20 years with the United Nations in the areas of Human Rights (OHCHR), Peacekeeping (DPKO) and UNICEF at Headquarters and in the field (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Afghanistan and the Middle-East and North Africa region) before joining UNHCR in Lebanon as Deputy Representative for Protection and Inter-Agency Coordination.
Prior to joining UNHCR, he was the UNICEF Child Protection Advisor for the MENA region (2010-13) working on emergency responses in Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and strengthening public child protection and education systems in the region. He was previously appointed as the Deputy Director of the Human Rights Unit of UN Peace-Keeping/DPKO mission in Afghanistan/UNAMA (2008-10) focusing on women’s rights, elections, poverty and the protection of civilians.
He previously worked as a Research Director in a human rights think-tank (International Council on Human Rights Policy) on issues of peace agreements, transitional justice, national human rights institutions and the reform of the UN human rights system. Jean-Nicolas Beuze holds a LL.M in international human rights law from Essex University, UK, and a Master in international relations from the Graduate Institute of International Relations, Geneva/Switzerland.

Governance of African Land Rights and Implications for Women
2019-03-27 15:30 - 17:30 | University of Ottawa Campus, 120 University Private, Ottawa
The Coalition for Equitable Land Acquisitions and Development in Africa (CELADA) invites students, faculty, and policy makers to explore the potential for Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy to strengthen Africa women’s access and rights to land.
A panel discussion moderated by Christopher Huggins, uOttawa will feature: Nyambura Githaiga, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Lindsay Mossman, Aga Khan Foundation, Shakilla Umutoni, Rwanda High Commission to Canada, Jean Symes, Inerpares.
Link to event poster: https://group78.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CELADA-poster-ENGLISH.pdf

March 29, Fundraiser: Jazz and Dinner with, Stay Tuned / Restez-à-l'écoute
2019-03-29 19:00 - 21:30 | Jambo Resturant, 69 Kempster Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, K2B 6M2, Canada
Event Poster (Pdf)
Please join us for an evening of dinner and Jazz at Jambo restaurant. Enjoy the “true taste of Africa” and the music of, Stay Tuned / Restez-à-l’écoute.
To guarantee your seat call the restaurant and make your reservation, 613-726-9393.
Donations are greatly appreciated, and vital to the Group of 78’s work. They help us provide programming and advocate for peace, justice, and survival. Please note that a charitable tax receipt will be available for donation over $20.00.
Share this event/make a donation through Eventbrite, or Facebook
Band members:

Ferline Regis, singer
Ron Ferguson, trumpet
Ian Schwartz, alto saxophone
Neil Sealy, bass
Dan Quinlan, drums
Karl Nerenberg, piano

April 30, Luncheon Speaker Series - Responding to the Central American Crisis
2019-04-30 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Laura Macdonald
Responding to the Central American Crisis (PDF)

Tuesday, April 30, 2019
12:00 p.m. Lunch and Presentation
12:45 p.m. Presentation Only
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday, April 26, 2019
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with registrants info.
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit, debit at the door):
3) Online (Eventbrite)
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations for the lunch at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Summary:
Donald Trump’s repeated calls to “build a wall” and his threat to cut off development assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador overlook the complex causes of Central American migration to the United States and the ways in which the U.S. is implicated in migrants’ decision to leave their homes. In this talk, Laura Macdonald examines the causes of migration and the recent caravans, and the role of the Mexican government. She calls for a regional response, including from Canada, to the overlapping environmental, economic, and security crises faced by the region.

Bio:
Laura Macdonald is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Institute of Political Economy at Carleton University. She has published numerous articles in journals and edited collections on such issues as the role of non-governmental organizations in development, global civil society, social policies and citizenship struggles in Latin America, Canadian development assistance, Canada-Latin American relations and the political impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Her recent work looks at transnational activism in North America around labour rights, migration, and human rights in Mexico, and policies to reduce crime and violence in Mexico City.

Transparency International Thematic Priorities: Political Integrity and Dirty Money
2019-05-14 17:30 - 19:00 | Demarais Hall, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier Ave E, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Register For Free

Book Launch: Science and Secrets of ENDING VIOLENT CRIME
2019-05-16 17:00 - 19:00 | Senate of Canada Bulding, 2 Rideau St,, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A4
RSVP
RSVP by May 14, 2019
Irvin Waller Book Launch
May 16, 2019 5-7:00 PM
ROOM C-128, Senate of Canada Building

Clyde Sanger Book Launch, "Coming of Age in Kentucky: Politicians, Editors....and mermaids
2019-05-25 02:00 - 16:00 | Colonel By, Dinning Room, 43 Aylmer Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5R4

May 28, Luncheon Speaker Series - How could the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples change Canada’s international trade and environmental normative framework?
2019-05-28 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
The Honourable Marilou McPhedran, C.M.
How could the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples change Canada’s international trade and environmental normative framework? (PDF)

Tuesday, May 28, 2019
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday, May 24, 2019
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with registrants info.
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit, debit at the door):
3) Online (Eventbrite)
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations for the lunch at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
The Honourable Marilou McPhedran, C.M.
Marilou McPhedran is a human rights lawyer, professor and activist, appointed as an independent senator in the Parliament of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November 2016. Marilou was one of the most influential leaders of the 1981 Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Women on the Constitution conference- the grass roots social movement of women across Canada resulting in stronger equality rights in the constitution. She co-founded several internationally recognized non-profit Canadian organizations such as the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF); the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC); and the Gerstein Crisis Centre for homeless discharged psychiatric patients. She was the founding Principal of the University of Winnipeg Global College and has facilitated student access to UN sessions for more than 20 years to provide practical skill building by providing rapporteur services to NGO presentations. She is a founding board member of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (Young Women for Peace and Leadership) and has given extensive voluntary support to civil society organizations that focus on peacebuilding and women’s rights, including the Afghan Women’s Organization, Canadian Council of Muslim Women, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, and Manitoba Women for Women of South Sudan.

Clyde Sanger Book Launch, "Coming of Age in Kentucky: Politicians, Editors....and mermaids
2019-06-09 02:00 - 16:00 | wild Oat Bakery, 819 Bank St, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 3V7

June 18, Luncheon Speaker Series - An Assessment of The Feminist International Assistance Policy Three Years In
2019-06-18 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Nicolas Moyer
An Assessment of The Feminist International Policy Three Years In (PDF)

Tuesday, June 18, 2019
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org 613-565-9449 ext. 22 by Friday, June 14, 2019
Late registrations are welcome for presentation only.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with registrants info.
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit, debit at the door):
3) Online (Eventbrite)
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations for the lunch at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Nicolas Moyer
Nicolas joined the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) as President & CEO in August 2018. As the former Executive Director of the Humanitarian Coalition, he is passionate about humanitarian and development policy, advocacy, and government relations.
Driven by a commitment to social justice, he began his career in international development in Ethiopia. He has founded and led Coalitions launched dozens of multi-platform fundraising and communications campaigns and raised tens of millions of dollars to assist survivors of humanitarian disasters.
Nicolas has degrees in Economics (Université de Montréal), International Relations (MacQuarie University, Australia) and an Executive MBA (Queen’s University). In 2016, he was named as a top Forty Under 40 recipient by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and the Ottawa Business Journal.

To Remember… The Women, Men and Children of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
2019-08-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Ottawa Quakers – Friends House, 91A Fourth Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 2L1, Canada
Event Poster PDF
On August 6th at 6:00 pm, there will be an event at the Friends House (Ottawa Quakers) to remember the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb attack.
Activities:
6: oo pm – Lantern Making
7:00 pm Program Presentation and Discussion
8: 00 pm walk to Rideau Canal to float lanterns
Thanks will be given to Murray Thomson and many others who continue to struggle to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Corporate Coup D'Etat (Screening and Post Screening-Panel /Discussion)
2019-09-26 19:00 - 22:00 | Academic Hall (SMN) UOttawa, 133 Séraphin-Marion Private, Ottawa, ON, K1N 1A2
One World Arts and the Group of 78, have partnered to offer the Ottawa premiere of The Corporate Coup d’Etat . This event will open the Group of 78, 2019 Annual Policy Conference, Global Markets, Inequality, and the Future of Democracy. It is also the opening film of the One World Film Festival which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Film Screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the issues raised in the film.
Location: Academic Hall (SMN) 133 Séraphin-Marion Private, Ottawa, ON, K1N 1A2
Admission is free: We will be accepting voluntary donation at the door to help cover the cost of the event.
*Seating will be first come first serve. Donating through Eventbrite does not guarantee a seat. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you there.
THE CORPORATE COUP D’ÉTAT PDF

Director Fred Peabody
Producers Peter Raymont
Executive Producers Peter Raymont, Fred Peabody, Steve Ord, Jeff Cohen, Hans Robert Eisenhauer

A democracy should protect its citizens, especially the most vulnerable among them, but increasingly the United States is failing to do so. This investigative and persuasive documentary blends the insights of philosophers, authors and journalists with the experiences of citizens of the Rust Belt in the U.S. Midwest, where the steel industry once flourished, but where closures and outsourcing have left urban areas desolate and hopeless. It’s here that Donald Trump finds some of his most fervent supporters, as he’s not considered part of the hated Washington establishment.
Journalist Chris Hedges, argues that the crisis predates Donald Trump’s election by many years. As his source of inspiration, the Canadian philosopher John Ralston Saul, Hedges regards Trump as the symptom rather than the disease. Decades ago, U.S. democracy began selling its soul to big corporations. Lobbyists and corporatism took control in Washington, gradually undermining the will of the people. Journalist Naomi Klein recently described Trump’s administration as a “corporate coup d’état”. Hedges and Ralston Saul argue that the real coup took place long before.
Featuring: Chris Hedges, John Ralston Saul, Cornel West, Sarah Jaffe, Lee Fang, Maude Barlow, Phillip Martin
The screening date will be Thursday, Sept. 26 and the start time will be 7:00 pm. There will be a Panel discussion on the issues raised in the film.
Parking is available at the rear of the building after 3:00 pm, $4.50/hour, max $9/day. Please see the map below. Please note that Séraphin-Marion is closed to vehicles directly in front, but there is a loading zone adjacent to Tabaret Lawn not far from the entrance.

2019 G78 Annual Policy Conference: Global Markets, Inequality and the Future of Democracy - September 27-28, 2019
2019-09-27 17:00 - 2019-09-28 17:00 | Faculty of Social Science, Room 4004, 120 University Private, Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Social Sciences Building
120 University Private, Ottawa, September 27-28, 2019

Program Chair Statement
Credit Card Registration Register by Cheque/Email Transfer

Statement of Conference Chair: Manfred Beinefeld
Democracies around the world are being eroded and destabilized by a tsunami of social challenges all ultimately linked to an explosive growth in inequality and economic insecurity. But although this fact is now all but universally acknowledged there is confusion and disagreement about the forces that have led to these totally unexpected outcomes. Well, unexpected to those old enough to remember a time when the almost everyone believed in the idea of progress and the dream of a leisure society?” So how are we to understand the reasons why those dreams have now been all but forgotten, especially since the hoped for technological progress that was to make that leisure society possible, did actually materialize? Or to put this another way, why did that technological progress occur in a form that is not only failing to usher in a leisure society, but that is actually further accelerating the scourges of inequality and economic insecurity.
At heart this conference will focus on a critical examination of the proposition that despite the complexity of the issues, and the diversity of the consequences, the roots of this nightmare can be traced back to three fundamental – and interrelated – causes: the rise of a global financial system that can no longer be regulated in the public interest; the rise of an international trading system that has dramatically undercut the ability of labour to share in productivity gains; and the enshrinement of a deeply individualistic ideology that has greatly increased the power of corporate capital to act with virtual impunity – witness the US pharmaceutical industry’s pricing policies – while reducing the scope for effective collective action in the public interest, either by governments, regulatory agencies, trade unions or civil society organizations.
Attempts to resist – let alone reverse – these trends face formidable challenges, in part because the underlying issues are so international in scope, and in part because their complexity allows powerful interests to poison the efforts to deal with these problems rationally – and democratically – which is to say, on the basis of an informed and free public debate. But that does not mean that such efforts are doomed to fail and, at this conference, we will seek to explore the most promising avenues for resistance always remembering that what progress was made at certain times in the past, was made in the teeth of fierce resistance and vitriolic denunciation. If success does not seem imminent, it is increasingly clear that business as usual is surely a recipe for a future that almost no one would willingly choose if presented with its true dimensions and characteristics. After all, none of the political parties promoting the neoliberal reforms that brought us to the current impasse, advised voters that they were voting for increased income equality and greater economic insecurity, which should serve as a reminder that democracy can function as it should – and must – only when voters are making choices based on an open and well informed debate.

Program
6:30 pm, THURSDAY, Sept. 26, 2019, Academic Hall (SMN) University of Ottawa,133 Séraphin-Marion Private
Doors Open: Special Film Screening and Panel: Free event, donations are much appreciated
One World Arts and the Group of 78, have partnered to offer the Ottawa premiere of The Corporate Coup d’Etat .

5:00 p.m. FRIDAY, Sept. 27, 2019 Conference Registration opens, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Social Sciences Building, 120 University Private, Room 4007
5:30 p.m. Keynote Address by Robert Kuttner: Saving Democracy From Globalization:
Moderator: Roy Culpeper, Chair, Group of 78
Introductory Remarks: Ed Broadbent
Keynote speaker: Robert Kuttner, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.
7:30 p.m. Dinner and Discussion: Q & A
Moderator: Roy Culpeper, Chair, Group of 78
Discussants:
Manfred Bienefeld, Professor Emeritus, School of Policy and Public Administration.
Robert Kuttner, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.
Armine Yalnizyan, Former senior economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; Fellow at the Atkinson Foundation.
8:15 a.m. SATURDAY, Sept 28, 2019 Registration Opens
9:00 a.m. Panel 1: Global and macroeconomic policies that drive increasing inequality and challenge democracy:
Moderator: Peter Venton, Former senior economist in Ontario Government
Speakers:

Mario Seccareccia, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of

Ottawa

John Myles, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Senior Research

Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of
Toronto
10:30 a.m. Coffee/Health Break
11:00 a.m. Panel 2: National, microeconomic, social and labour market policies leading to wage stagnation, precarity, the gig economy, growing income disparities:
Moderator: Gordon Betcherman, Professor, School of International Development and
Global Studies, University of Ottawa
Speakers:

Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing;

Executive Director, Canada without Poverty

Katherine Scott, Senior Economist, CCPA, gender equality and public policy

Ellen Russell, Associate professor in Digital Media and Journalism and Social and Environmental Justice programs, Wilfrid Laurier University

12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Keynote Address by Julie Delahanty: Public Good or Private Wealth?
Moderator: Roy Culpeper, Chair, Group of 78
Keynote speaker: Julie Delahanty, Executive Director, Oxfam Canada
2:30 p.m. Coffee/Health Break
2:45 p.m. Panel 3: Restoring policy space and national capacity to reverse growing inequality and strengthen democracy.
Moderator: Manfred Bienefeld, Professor Emeritus, School of Policy and Public Administration
Speakers:

Lars Osberg, McCulloch Professor of Economics, Dalhousie University.

Toby Sanger, Executive Director, Canadians for Tax Fairness.

Angella MacEwen, Senior Economist, Canadian Union of Public Employees.

4:20 p.m. Robert Kuttner, Keynote Speaker: Reflections on the Conference Proceedings
4:35 p.m. Conference Conclusion and Closing Remarks
4:50 p.m. Conference Adjourns
5:15 p.m. Group of 78 Annual Meeting to follow immediately

Thank you to our Sponsors:

Youth Unstoppable - Free Screening
2019-10-10 19:00 - 22:00 | ByTown Cinema, 325 RIDEAU STREET, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 5Y4
Youth Unstoppable takes us inside the rise of the Global Youth Climate Movement. Canadian Slater Jewell-Kemker was 15 when she began documenting the untold stories of youth on the front lines of climate change activism, refusing to let their future slip away.
Over more than a decade, set against stunning visuals of a planet in crisis, this award-winning film follows the growth of a diverse network of youth, rising up to shape the world they will live in. Through the lens of Jewell-Kemker’s camera, we see the struggles, events, and firsthand effects on youth fighting to be heard, both at home and within the complex process of UN Climate Change negotiations.
From flood-ravaged villages in Nepal to luxury hotels in Cancún, from the tailings ponds of the Alberta Tar Sands to the riots of Copenhagen, culminating with the intense and defining events at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, this urgent and timely documentary shows us a powerful vision for the future of our planet and the young people who will lead us there.
A joint presentation of The 30th One World Film Festival, Our Time, Green Screen Ottawa,
and the Group of 78.
A panel discussion on Canadian responses to the climate crisis will follow the screening.

October 29, Carbon Tax On Trial - Luncheon Speaker Series
2019-10-29 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Nathalie Chalifour, PhD
Carbon Tax on Trial (PDF)

Tuesday, October 29, 2019
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org, 613-565-9449 ext. 22 or Eventbrite
Join us for Lunch RSVP by Friday October 25, 2019 at 12:00 p.m., presentation only participants are welcome to walk in, seating if first come first serve.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with your name and email.
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit, debit at the door):
3) Online (Eventbrite)
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations for the lunch at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Nathalie Chalifour, PhD
Nathalie Chalifour is an Associate Professor with the Centre for Environmental Law and Global Sustainability at the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa. She is cross-appointed to the Institute of the Environment where she teaches in an interdisciplinary Masters of Environmental Sustainability. Nathalie was elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars in 2018. Nathalie’s research lies at the intersection of environment law, economics and social justice, with a focus on climate change. Her most recent articles focus on the constitutionality of climate policies, specifically the division of powers and Charter rights. Nathalie is currently leading a SSHRC-funded project on Environmental Justice in Canadian Law and Policy. She is the co-editor of three international books, including “Energy, Governance and Sustainability” (Edward Elgar, 2016), and a fourth collection on Food Law in Canada (Carswell 2019).
Nathalie is actively engaged in the development of Canadian law and policy. She recently served as pro-bono co-counsel to Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission before the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, and the United Chiefs and Council of the Mnidoo Mnising before the Ontario Court of Appeal (with Westaway Law), in the constitutional challenges to the federal carbon price. From 2011-2015, she was Associate Director at the Institute of the Environment where she led the development, and served as inaugural director, of the interdisciplinary Masters of Environmental Sustainability. Prior to her academic career, Nathalie was senior advisor to the President of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, Policy Advisor to the World Wildlife Fund, and established TRAFFIC Canada (an NGO that focuses on wildlife trade). She was also an adjunct professor at Widener University and taught at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She obtained her Doctorate of Law at Stanford University, and holds a Master in Juridical Sciences which she obtained as a Stanford Fellow and Fulbright Scholar.

November 26, Haiti: Another catastrophe in the making - Luncheon Speaker Series
2019-11-26 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Stephen Baranyi
Event PDF

Tuesday, November 26, 2019
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org, 613-565-9449 ext. 22 or Eventbrite
Join us for Lunch RSVP by Friday November 22, 2019 at 12:00 p.m., presentation only participants are welcome to walk in, seating if first come first serve.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with your name and email.
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit, debit at the door):
3) Online (Eventbrite)
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations for the lunch at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Outline
Haiti is attracting renewed attention by the world’s media, as concerns mount over its converging governance, economic and security crises. How did Haiti get to this point, almost ten years after a catastrophic earthquake in January 2010? Who are the key players and what are their agendas? What scenarios can we envisage over the coming year? Where does Canada fit in that panorama?
Stephen Baranyi
Stephen is a professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of International Development, where he teaches and does research at the intersection of security and development — on issues such as gender (in)equality, security sector reform and Canada’s engagement in fragile and conflict-affected societies like Haiti. Before moving to uO in 2008, he was a policy researcher and practitioner with non-governmental and governmental agencies in Ottawa, London and Guatemala.

A Memorial Event to Honour the Life of Michael Shenstone
2019-11-30 15:00 | Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau St, Ottawa, ON, K1N 8S7, Canada
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Fairmont Chateau Laurier
(Palladium Room)

Michael Shenstone Obituary
MICHAEL SHENSTONE, CM It is with great sadness that the family of Michael Shenstone announces that this devoted husband, father and retired Canadian diplomat died peacefully on September 9, 2019, in Toronto. He was 91. Born in Toronto in 1928 to Allen and Molly Shenstone, Michael spent most of his childhood in Princeton, N.J., where his Toronto-born father was a lifelong professor of physics at Princeton University. He attended Ottawa’s Ashbury College during the war, then studied history and modern languages at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. It was at Trinity that he met the ever-sparkling Susan Burgess, a fellow member of the class of ’49, who would soon become his wife and much-valued partner in his long career with the Canadian foreign service. (Michael died a few hours after their 68th wedding anniversary.) After receiving an MA from Cambridge University and marrying Susan, Michael joined the Department of External Affairs in 1952, and was soon sent to Lebanon, first to learn Arabic and then take up a post at the Canadian embassy in Beirut. It was the start of a distinguished career that saw him become one of External Affairs’s foremost experts in Arab and Middle Eastern issues, at a time when such issues were becoming of paramount importance. Michael and Susan’s three children, Thomas, Barbara and Mary, enjoyed peripatetic lives as the family moved from Beirut, to Ottawa, to Cairo, to Washington, back to Ottawa and on to London and Geneva. Michael’s first ambassadorial posting came in 1973, as Ambassador to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, in Geneva and Helsinki. In 1974 he was appointed Canada’s first resident ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Back in Ottawa in the late 1970s, Michael played a significant role in the “Canadian Caper” that saw the rescue of six American diplomats during the hostage crisis of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. As Director-General of African and Middle Eastern Affairs at the time, Michael was intimately involved as the key point of contact in Ottawa for Ken Taylor, the Canadian ambassador in Tehran who spearheaded the top-secret operation. Michael later served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Political and International Security Affairs, and then, in 1985, he and Susan embarked on their final — and endlessly fascinating — overseas posting, in Vienna, where Michael served for five years as Ambassador to Austria, Head of Delegation to the talks on Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions in Europe and Permanent Representative to the United Nations’s agencies in Vienna. In 1992 he retired from the Department of External Affairs after 39 years. Among his many post-retirement activities, he co-founded and chaired an Ottawa-based human-rights organization, Action Canada for Population and Development. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2002. A truly dedicated public servant, Michael was blessed with a rigorous intellect, a wide-ranging curiosity, a lively sense of humour and a passion for books, history, language and, of course, current affairs. He was perhaps never happier than when sailing on the Annapolis Basin at the ancestral family cottage in Smith‘s Cove, N.S. Michael leaves his beloved wife Susan, his cherished children Thomas (Brenda), Barbara (Belinda) and Mary (Christopher) and four grandchildren of whom he was immensely proud, Amy and Leith Shenstone and Sarah and Claire Shenstone-Harris. He will also be much missed by his cousins and legions of friends, in Canada and around the world. The family would like to thank Michael’s personal support workers, Tashi Lhamo and Dawa Kyizom, for their care and tender devotion, and the long-term-care staff at Meighen Manor in Toronto. An informal memorial service will be held at a later date. If desired, donations in Michael’s memory may be made to Trinity College or the charity of your choice.
Published in The Globe and Mail from Sept. 14 to Sept. 18, 2019

Jingle, Mingle and Birthday Bash! The Rideau Institute, World Federalist Movement-Canada, and Group of 78
2019-12-19 19:00 - 23:30 | Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St., Ottawa, ON, K2P 2L7, Canada
The Rideau Institute, Group of 78 and the World Federalist Movement – Canada invite you to celebrate the 2019 holidays and the 70th birthday of Peggy Mason, President of the Rideau Institute. To get everyone dancing, we will be featuring the fabulous Ottawa band, Three Times Lucky. There will be a cash bar, lots of delicious nibbles and the odd fundraising activity to keep you on your toes.
*This is a free event but please help us out by an RSVP through Eventbrite so we know how much food to order!
December 19th
7:00pm – 11:30pm
Knox Presbyterian Church – Garden Entrance
120 Lisgar St.
Ottawa, ON K2P 2L7 Canada + Google Map

RSVP
Here’s hoping we see you there!
The Rideau Institute
World Federalist Movement-Canada
Group of 78

January 28, Justice Dies in Darkness - Luncheon Speaker Series
2020-01-28 12:00 - 14:00 | Palais Imperial Restaurant, 311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Group of 78 Luncheon Speaker Series
Hassan Diab
Event PDF

Tuesday, January 28, 2020
12:00 p.m.
Palais Imperial Restaurant,
311- 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa

$30 for luncheon and presentation (12:00 p.m.)
$5 for presentation only (arrive 12:45 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available)
RESERVATIONS: Group78@group78.org, 613-565-9449 ext. 22 or Eventbrite
Join us for Lunch RSVP by Friday, January 24, 2020, at 12:00 p.m., presentation only participants are welcome to walk in, seating is on a first-come first-serve basis.
Payment/registration options:
1) Interac e-transfer: direct deposit payment to group78@group78.org, please include a note with your name and email.
2) e-mail RSVP (cheque, cash, credit, debit at the door):
3) Online (Eventbrite)
Online Registration
*Individuals who do not cancel their reservations for the lunch at least 24 hours before the luncheon will be billed $30.
Outline
Prof. Diab will focus on the repercussions of the little known oppressive Canadian Extradition Law. He will talk about the absence of any legal protection (due process included) against that “rubber stamp Law” and provide his view of the dire price that anyone accused would pay.
Hassan Diab
Currently, Hassan Diab is a part-time sociology professor at Carleton University. He did his undergraduate studies at Lebanese University in Beirut, and received his Ph.D. in sociology at Syracuse University in New York. He has taught in many universities in the Middle East and North America. He was teaching at Ottawa U and Carleton U when he was arrested in 2008 and spent the following decade either under house arrest or in Canadian and French jails. He was finally released from France’s largest jail in 2018. Since that time he has been fighting for two things: a transparent public inquiry to what happened to him so it doesn’t happen to others; and a significant and meaningful change in the “lousy” Canadian Extradition Act.

Financing a Global Green New Deal: Trade and Development Report 2019
2020-01-31 10:00 - 12:00 | International Development Research Centre, 150 Kent Street, 8th floor, W. David Hopper Room, Ottawa, ON, Canada
When: Friday, January 31, 2020, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: International Development Research Centre, 150 Kent Street, 8th floor, Hopper Rooms, Ottawa
RSVP: Seating is free but limited, so please register for the event.
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), and Group of 78 invite you to a dynamic conversation, presenting the key findings from the Trade and Development Report 2019. Published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), this report calls for bold action in the face of the climate change crisis to finance a Global Green New Deal and meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
This event will launch our International Development Week activities and we would be delighted if you would join us.
French and English simultaneous interpretation will be available.
About the event
This year’s Trade and Development Report suggests that meeting the financing demands of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires rebuilding multilateralism around the idea of a Global Green New Deal, and pursuing a financial future very different from the recent past.
Richard Kozul-Wright, UNCTAD Director of Globalization and Development, will present highlights from the report and the changes needed nationally and internationally to significantly increase resources available for a big investment push into inclusive and sustainable growth.
The following experts will discuss implementation challenges from the perspective of developing countries, low-income populations, gender equality, global governance, and the role of advanced economies in reducing emissions and supporting adaptation in developing countries:

•
Manfred Bienefeld, vice-chair, Group of 78, Canada

•
Aaron Shull, managing director, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canada

•
Martha Melesse, program leader, Employment and Growth, IDRC, Canada

Dominique Charron, vice-president, Programs and Partnership, IDRC will moderate the panel.

Securing Our Common Future: Why Disarmament Matters Today as Much as Ever
2020-02-19 15:30 - 17:00 | Faculty of Social Science, Room 4004, 120 University Private, Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
Date: February 19, 2020
Reception 3:30-4:00, talk begins at 4:00 pm
Location: FSS 4004, 120 University Private, Ottawa
Presented by: CIPS and the Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention
Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament, bluntly warns that the struggle for nuclear arms control and disarmament is “going backwards” and calls for “a new vision” to re-establish arms control dialogue and negotiations.
The year 2020 will be a crucial year for nuclear disarmament. The challenges facing the disarmament and non-proliferation architecture are well known and include regional dimensions, increasing hostility between the nuclear-weapon states and a break-down of the Cold War-era arms control regime.
However, there are opportunities as well. The 2020 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) comes at a critical moment. Fifty years after the treaty’s entry-into-force and twenty-five years after its indefinite extension, it remains as relevant as ever and continues to provide tangible security benefits to all states parties. The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs believes that this Review Conference is a key opportunity to return to a common vision and path leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons. In line with the vision set out by the United Nations Secretary-General in his disarmament agenda Securing Our Common Future, she has advocated for a return to dialogue based on respect for one another’s legitimate security interest. The foundations for this path have already been laid at past NPT Review Conferences, including through the commitments made by all States Parties.
Historically, states like Canada have played an important bridge-building and facilitating role. They will once again have the opportunity to do so at the 2020 NPT Review Conference.
Izumi Nakamitsu is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament. Ms. Nakamitsu has extensive expertise and experience in global conflict management. A former professor of international relations and peacebuilding professional, her United Nations work, before heading up Disarmament Affairs, included crisis response operations in the UN Development Program, advising on large movements of refugees and migrants, and directing the Asia and Middle East Division of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
