The Saskatoon branch of the Canadian International Council invites you to our next event, free of charge and open to the public, on the following important international issue:

TOPIC: Pressure Points: Turkiye, Taiwan, Poland, Latvia…

SPEAKER: Chris Kilford

DATE: Monday, October 27, 2025

PLACE: Saskatoon Club, 417 21st Street East, Saskatoon

TIME: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

~~~ This is the eighth event of our 2025/26 program ~~~

[Read further below about the option for joining the speaker for dinner after the talk.]

The geopolitical challenges today are seemingly endless. Indeed, from Washington, to Moscow, Beijing, Kyiv and beyond, countries are burning the midnight oil as they seek a way out of the turbulent times we live in. Over the past 18 months, our speaker travelled to Turkiye, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Bhutan on official and semi-official visits, where he had a chance to sit down with numerous officials including Canada’s Ambassador to Turkiye, Kevin Hamilton to Taiwan’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Remus Li-Kuo Chen. Earlier this year, Chris also spent two weeks in Poland and Latvia, meeting officials from both countries and visiting members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are training Ukrainian military personnel and leading NATO’s Multinational Brigade in Latvia. During his talk, Chris will speak about his various visits, what he learned while on the ground and what are the key geopolitical minefields we should be on the lookout for moving forward.

About our speaker:

Chris Kilford enjoyed a 36-year career in the Canadian Army, commanding 4th Air Defence Regiment, followed by various senior positions in the Department of National Defence, including Director, Future Security Analysis and Military Liaison Officer to the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. From July 2009 until July 2010, Chris deployed to Canada’s Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan as the Deputy Military Attaché. On his return to Canada, he commenced Turkish language training, after which he was sent to Canada’s Embassy in Ankara as the Canadian Defence Attaché with cross accreditation to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkmenistan. He was in this post from July 2011 until July 2014. Chris retired from the military in September 2014. Chris is a member of the national board of the Canadian International Council, the editor (articles) of CIC’s online foreign policy magazine Open Canada, president of the CIC Victoria branch and a sessional professor with the Canadian Forces College where he teaches courses focused on Canadian foreign and defence policy. He also holds a PhD in history from Queen’s University with a focus on civil-military relations in the developing world.

Itinerary:

5:30 p.m. Doors open

6:00 p.m. Public presentation – free and open to the public

7:30 p.m. Event concludes

8:00 p.m. Dinner with the speaker (RSVP by email to dan.sutherland@canada.ca)

9:30 p.m. Dinner concludes

DINNER WITH THE SPEAKER:

Want to find out even more about the issues, and discuss them with the speaker and other internationalists? Consider buying a dinner ticket and joining us after the talk, at 8:00 p.m., also at the Saskatoon Club.

Register for dinner before noon on Thursday, October 23 by emailing dan.sutherland@canada.ca , indicating the number of seats you wish to purchase. Pay for meals by e-transfer.

Prices for dinner with the speaker, following presentation

$20 – Students

$40 – All other CIC members

$50 – Non-members

Register for dinner with the speaker before October 23, 12:00 noon. Dinner registrants will be expected to pay even if they cannot or do not attend. Persons with dinner reservations who cannot attend are encouraged to find someone else to take their place.

We hope you can make it!

Yours in service,

Dan Sutherland, Programming Chair

Canadian International Council – Saskatoon Branch