Presented by the Canadian International Council in partnership with Venture for Canada
Chapter 3 of CIC’s National Dialogue Series, supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada (KAS)

Wednesday September 2, 2026
5:30 PM – 7:45 PM ET
In-Person and Virtual Event (Zoom)

Canada’s ability to prosper and exercise influence in a more fractured world depends not only on trade agreements, security investments or alliances. It also depends on whether the country can develop, include and connect its people.

Today, talent remains underused at every stage. Many young Canadians struggle to gain the experience needed to begin meaningful careers. Newcomers find that qualifications and capabilities do not readily translate into Canadian opportunity. Millions of Canadians abroad retain connections to the country, but Canada has built few deliberate channels through which they can contribute.

The challenge is not simply to attract talent or persuade people to return. It is to build a system of participation and talent circulation: equipping young people, enabling newcomers to contribute fully, and connecting Canadians abroad through mentorship, investment, research, entrepreneurship, professional networks and opportunities for shorter-term engagement.

This roundtable will ask what policies, institutions and partnerships could turn that potential into practical opportunity. How can Canada use new models of work and responsible AI adoption to widen rather than narrow access to meaningful work? And how could a stronger talent system contribute not only to inclusion, but also to productivity, resilience, sovereignty and Canadian influence abroad?

Steven Wang, CEO of Venture for Canada and a lecturer at Harvard Law School and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, works at the intersection of talent, entrepreneurship, AI and public policy. His career has spanned law, social entrepreneurship and education in Canada and internationally. At Venture for Canada, he leads work helping young people gain practical experience and entrepreneurial capabilities while supporting small and medium-sized businesses to modernize and adopt AI responsibly. Drawing on his experience abroad and his Senate testimony on Canadians abroad this year, he will explore how Canada can move beyond the language of “brain drain” and build the relationship infrastructure required for talent circulation.

Rupa Banerjee, Canada Research Chair in Economic Inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants and Professor of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behaviour at Toronto Metropolitan University, brings a complementary research perspective. Her work examines the institutional barriers that prevent newcomers’ skills, credentials and experience from translating into full economic participation, and the roles that employers, post-secondary institutions and public policy can play in overcoming them.

Following opening remarks from each speaker, the session will move into an interactive roundtable focused on practical priorities and unresolved trade-offs. The discussion will inform CIC’s national synthesis in January 2027 and ongoing work by CIC and Venture for Canada on talent, productivity and Canada’s global engagement.

Registration
A limited number of in-person tickets are available. Virtual participation is open to students, emerging leaders, and interested members of the public.

Event Contact
Jennifer Chylinski | jennifer@thecic.org | 647-875-3313

Presented by the Canadian International Council and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Canada.