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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 Winnipeg: He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada with Madeleine Drohan

May 25 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm CDT

Before Donald Trump in 2025, before James Madison in 1812,Benjamin Franklin had designs on Canada. Madelaine Drohan will talk about how he rationalized that desire, what he did about it, why he failed, and why the events of 250 years ago remain relevant today.

Throughout his long and illustrious career, Benjamin Franklin nursed a not-so-secret desire to annex Canada and make it American. When he was not busy conducting scientific experiments or representing American interests at home and abroad, Benjamin Franklin hatched one plan after another to join Canada to the American colonies and then later to the United States. These were not solely intellectual efforts. He went to Montreal in 1776 to try to turn around the faltering occupation by American forces. As lead American negotiator at the 1782 peace negotiations with Britain in Paris, he made a last-gasp attempt to win Canada. Donald Trump’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51 st state suggest the desire to possess Canada did not die with Franklin. There are lessons for Canada in Franklin’s failure that remain relevant today.

Madelaine Drohan is a senior fellow at the Graduate School of Public and International Policy, University of Ottawa, a former Canada correspondent for The Economist, and a former foreign correspondent for The Globe and Mail. During her long journalism career, she covered politics, economics, and business in Africa, Asia, Canada, and Europe. Her latest book is: He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada.

Registration is not required!

May 25, 2026
Doors open 5:00 p.m.
Speaker event 5:30 p.m.
Whodunnit Bookstore, 163 Lilac

Details

  • Date: May 25
  • Time:
    5:00 pm - 7:30 pm CDT
  • Event Category:

Venue

  • Whodunit Mystery Bookstore
  • 163 Lilac St
    Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

Organizer

  • CIC Winnipeg Branch