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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 National Office: Liberal Democracy in the Rearview Mirror?

April 15, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 3:00 pm EDT
On Monday, April 15 from 8:30am – 3:00pm please join Massey College, Section 1 and the Canadian International Council for a timely discussion on liberal democracy.

A full-day conference on the state of and prospects for liberal constitutionalism at home and in the world with the ascent of Trump and the backsliding of liberal democracy everywhere.

The election of Donald Trump to a second term as President of the United States marks an inflection point in the downward trajectory of liberal constitutionalism throughout the West and the unravelling of the post-war international order. The tolerance for Trump-style populist, autocratic, politics, including for the departure of leaders and political elites from adherence to liberal democratic conventions, standards and values for national governments and global alliances alike, has the entire world on edge and forces us to confront the precarious and contingent nature of freedom and democracy. It also underscores the failure of post-war liberal democracies to deliver on many of their essential promises. How do we explain these developments and how might we best respond to them?

Date
Monady April 15th, 2025 | 8:30am to 3:00pm ET

Venue
Massey College | University of Toronto
4 Devonshire Pl, Toronto, ON M5S 2E1

Registration
This is a free event. Please click the button below. You will be redirected to the registration page on the Massey College website. If you are not redirected, please click on this link to register: https://www.masseycollege.ca/events/liberal-democracy-conference/


Tentative Schedule

8:30-9:15 Registration, coffee

9:10 a.m. Principal’s Welcome and Opening of the Conference

9:15 am.  Morning Keynote to open the conference (Biro)

9:45 First panel

11:15 Coffee Break

11:30 Second panel

1:00  Lunch

1:30 Afternoon keynote (Homer-Dixon)

2:15 Afternoon panel 90 minutes

3:45 Closing Remarks Conference concludes

 

Speakers

Morning Keynote
“From Liberal Democracy to Electoral Autocracy: On the flimsy foundation of fabricated mandates to decommission the machinery of accountable government”
Delivered by Peter Biro

First Morning Panel
Liberal democracy in decline around the world: what is really happening?

Lucan Way, (U of T Political Science),

Sanjay Ruparelia, (Jarislowsky Democracy Chair, Toronto Metropolitan University),

Sabine Anne Sparwasser (former German Ambassador to Canada),

Michael Bonner (In Defense of Civilization)

Second Morning Panel
Liberal constitutionalism in Canada: democracy, civil liberties, and civic culture

Nicolas Rouleau (Constitutional litigator and CIC co-Chair); on the basic architecture of liberal constitutional democracy,

Noa Mendelsohn Aviv (immediate past ED and General Counsel, CCLA) the notwithstanding clause as window into the state of civil liberties,

Dennis Pilon (Chair, Department of Politics, Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University),

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell(former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario), On the the attitudes of the average Ontarian in the community

Afternoon keynote: Homer-Dixon: “Defending Canadian Democracy: A strategic framework for revitalizing our society”

Afternoon Panel
Rescuing, Deepening and Promoting Democracy

Sascha Priewe, (Director of Collections and Public Programs at the Aga Khan Museum); on cultural institutions as curators of civic engagement,

Sabreena Delhon, (Executive Director, Samara Centre for Democracy), Social media, technology, and democracy

Seána Glennon, (University of Ottawa Faculty of Law); On smaller groups and mini-publics as deliberative democratic forum.

George Takach (Lawyer, author of Cold War 2.0), on the use and role of AI.

 

Details

Venue

  • Massey College
  • 4 Devonshire Place
    Toronto, ON M5S 2E1 Canada     + Google Map