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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: Power, Ideas, and the World Order – Understanding Political Change Today

June 24 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT

Power, Ideas, and the World Order: Understanding Political Change Today

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (EST)
Location: Great Hall, University of Toronto Bookstore (214 College St, Toronto)

The Canadian International Council’s Toronto Branch is pleased to invite you to a panel discussion on the current state of global affairs and political ideology in today’s policy-making context.

In an era marked by intensifying geopolitical rivalry and shifting global authority, questions about power, leadership, and political direction have taken on renewed urgency. Join Omer Aziz, former speechwriter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and author of The Shadows of the Republic, for a conversation on how political ideas shape power, how institutions respond to moments of disruption, and how leaders interpret a rapidly changing world.

Drawing on his book’s examination of political ideology and the evolution of power in Western democracies, alongside his experience inside Canadian government, Aziz will explore how ideas translate into leadership and decision-making during moments of global uncertainty.

At the end of the event there will be a book signing of The Shadows of the Republic by Omer Aziz.

To register, please follow this link.

 

About the Speaker
Omer Aziz is a writer, lawyer, and former foreign policy advisor. He is the author  of the critically acclaimed memoir Brown Boy (2023) and Shadows of the Republic: The Rebirth of Fascism in America and How to Defeat It for Good. He previously served as a foreign policy advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, and has held residencies at MacDowell, Yaddo and was recently a Fellow at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, New York, and the New York Times, among other publications. Born to a working-class immigrant family, Aziz earned his BA with honors in politics from Queen’s University, his MPhil in international relations from the University of Cambridge, and his JD from Yale Law School.

About the Moderator
Mustafa Aryan is the current President of the Toronto Branch of the Canadian International Council. Previously a Programming Chair and Member-at-Large of the Toronto Branch, Mustafa was a Research Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Prior to the fall of the Afghan government, he served as the Director of Regional and International Affairs of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation. He holds a MA in International Security from the University of Reading in the UK.

Details

Venue

  • Great Hall, UofT Bookstore
  • 214 College St
    Toronto, ON M5T 3A1 Canada     + Google Map

Organizer

  • CIC Toronto Branch