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The mission of the CIC is to promote an understanding of international affairs and Canada’s role in a changing world by providing Canadians with a non-partisan, nationwide forum for informed discussion, analysis and debate. Accordingly, the cornerstone of the CIC’s work is our events program. The CIC national office and our branches hold more than 150 events per year in cities across the country. In particular, our branch events give members an opportunity to directly engage with global issues that often intersect with local concerns. The CIC also supports events outside of Canada, often in partnership with other global think tanks, that can introduce Canadian perspectives to global audiences. CIC events take on many different forms, from academic lectures and panel discussions to town hall meetings and pub nights. Please consult our events calendar for a listing of CIC-organized and sponsored events.

If you have an idea for a CIC event, please contact us at info@thecic.org.

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CIC Toronto: Is it time for a Canadian Civil Defence Corps?

November 25, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EST

Is it time for a Canadian Civil Defence Corps?

Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (EST)
Location: Canadian Forces College (215 Yonge Blvd, Toronto)

 

The Canadian International Council’s Toronto Branch and the NATO Association of Canada are delighted to invite you to attend a panel discussion on whether the time has come for a civil defence corps in Canada, taking place on Tuesday, November 25 at 6:00 PM at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

Canadians confront a turbulent world that demands collective resilience and preparedness in the face of state-led disinformation campaigns, extreme weather events and looming geopolitical threats. What lessons do countries like Sweden offer for Canada in training large numbers of citizens in civil defence so that society continues to function in challenging circumstances? How do we make Canadians resilient in the face of influence campaigns and state-led grey zone tactics? What are the lessons we can learn from Canada’s experience with civil defence during the Cold War?

 

About the speakers
Peter MacLeod, is the founder and principal of MASS LBP, and one of Canada’s leading experts in public engagement and deliberative democracy. In March, he authored “Canada Needs a New Civil Defence Corps” in The Tyee.

Juliana Haras has been with the Government of Canada since 2005. Her work in the global affairs and defence portfolios has focused on assessing the strategic behaviour of hostile states and providing advice on deterrence policy. She is the author of Building Citizen Resilience: Preparing Canadians for an Age of Grey-Zone Conflict.

Andrew Burtch, PhD, is an Adjunct Research Professor, Carleton University, the Canadian War Museum’s post-1945 historian and author of Give Me Shelter: The Failure of Canada’s Cold War Civil Defence, winner of the 2012 CP Stacey Award for military history.

 

Moderator
Nirupama Agrawal, PhD, Professor, Disaster & Emergency Management, founding faculty at York University’s Disaster and Emergency Management, and an adjunct professor at the United Nations University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health.

 

To register, please follow this link.

Details

Venue

  • Canadian Forces College
  • 215 Yonge Blvd
    Toronto, ON M5M 3H8 Canada     + Google Map

Organizers

  • CIC Toronto Branch
  • NATO Association of Canada