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CIC Saskatoon: Canada as a Middle Power
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: CIC-Saskatoon: Canada as a Middle Power
SPEAKER: Martin Gaal
DATE: Monday, April 27, 2026
PLACE: Saskatoon Club, 417 21st Street East, Saskatoon
TIME: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
~~~ This is the nineteenth event of our 2025/26 program ~~~
[Read further below about the option for joining the speaker for dinner after the talk.]
Canada began to be widely described as a middle power in the years right after the Second World War, when it emerged as an active, wealthy, but clearly not “great” power alongside the United States and United Kingdom. The phrase entered Canadian political discourse in this period; Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent famously called Canada “a power of the middle rank” while campaigning for a seat on the UN Security Council.
What does it mean to be a middle power? What does being a middle power mean for Canada today in the middle of current turbulent times on the world stage? Join us as renowned expert on the concept Martin Gould comes to explain all.
About our speaker:
Dr. Martin Gaal is a lecturer in Political Studies and International Studies at the University of Saskatchewan whose research centers on international relations, foreign policy, and especially the behavior of middle powers such as Canada in global politics. Dr. Gaal holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Kent (Brussels), where his dissertation was titled “Crusader States: Middle Powers as Ethical Norm Entrepreneurs.”
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, April 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 April 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
Saskatoon Club 
