Upcoming Speakers

February 12, 2026 - Marie Wilson (honoris causa), M.A., B.A., C.M., O.NWT., M.S.C.

Talk Title - The Truth and Reconciliation Commission 10 Years On

Marie Wilson served as one of three Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of
Canada following decades of experience as an award-winning journalist, trainer, and senior executive manager. She is also an author with the 2024 release of, NORTH OF NOWHERE: Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, a memoir of her TRC days.

Ms. Wilson has devoted her professional life to public service, serving many years as Regional Director for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the CBC North region, responsible for three northern territories and northern Quebec. Fluently bilingual in French and English, she has been a university professor, a high school teacher in Africa, a senior executive manager in both federal and territorial Crown Corporations, and an independent consultant in journalism, program evaluation, and project management.

Dr. Wilson was appointed the 2016 Professor of Practice in Global Governance at the Institute for Study of International Development, McGill University, and a 2016-2017 Mentor for the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation, and continues to serve on several boards and committees.

In addition to awards for writing and journalism excellence, she is the recipient of a CBC North Award for Lifetime Achievement, Northerner of the Year, the Calgary Peace Prize, the Toronto Heart and Vision Award, and the Pepin Award for Access to Information.

She has Honorary Doctorates from six Canadian universities, and has received the Order of the
Northwest Territories, the Meritorious Service Cross, and the Order of Canada.

Marie Wilson and her husband, Stephen Kakfwi, have three children and four grandchildren. She sees them as her most treasured achievement!

March 12, 2026 - Nadeem Esmail, Director of Health Policy, Fraser Institute

Talk Title - How Ottawa Discourages Reforms of Canada’s Failing Health Care System

Nadeem Esmail first joined the Fraser Institute in 2001, serving as Director of Health System Performance Studies from 2006 to 2009, and was a Senior Fellow from 2010 to 2025.

Mr. Esmail has spearheaded critical Fraser Institute research including the annual Waiting Your Turn survey of surgical wait times across Canada and How Good Is Canadian Health Care?, an international comparison of health care systems.

In addition, Mr. Esmail has authored or co-authored more than 50 comprehensive studies and more than 150 articles on a wide range of topics including the cost of public health care insurance, international comparisons of health care systems, hospital performance, medical technology, and physician shortages.

A frequent commentator on radio and TV, Mr. Esmail's articles have appeared in newspapers across North America. Mr. Esmail completed his B.A. (Honours) in Economics at the University of Calgary and received an M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia.

April 9, 2026 - Peter Macleod
Talk Title: Democracy is in Peril. It’s time for the Second Act

“Democracy’s Second Act: Why Politics needs the Public” is a book to be published before our April meeting. According to Thomas Homer- Dixon , Executive Director of the Cascade Institute and Royal Roads University, it is a “clarion call for democratic renewal”.

We are delighted to welcome co author Peter Macleod who will speak about his soon to be published book and the need for a Canadian Civil defense Corp.

About our speaker
Peter MacLeod is the founder and principal of MASS LBP, and one of Canada’s leading experts in public engagement and deliberative democracy. Since its founding in 2007, MASS has earned international recognition for it’s work in completing more than 200 major policy projects for governments and public agencies across Canada.

Peter frequently writes and speaks about the citizen’s experience of the state, the importance of public imagination, and the future of responsible government. A graduate of the University of Toronto and Queen’s University, he travelled across Canada visiting almost oe hundred constituency offices as part of his studies at the London School of Economics.

He is a former researcher at the British think tank Demos, and a lecturer at Denmark’s Kaospilots. While leading MASS, he has chaired more than three dozen Citizens’ Assemblies and Reference Panels, including the Canadian Citizens’ Assemblies on Democratic Expression (2020-2022).

In 2024, he was invited to deliver the annual Meisel Lecture at Queen’s University. He is the past chair of Toronto’s Wellesley Institute for Urban Health and a former director of the YMCA of Greater Toronto. He currently serves on the board of the Environics Institute and is a mentor with the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation.

Join us on April 9 to hear Peter’s thoughts on this important topic.

Professor Mark Rector

Talk Title - OH CANADA! Our Home and Inventive Land

Originally Scheduled Sept 11, 2025 - To be Re-Scheduled to a later date

Professor Rector is a published author, public speaker, and retired Professor of Engineering from Simcoe. He has written numerous articles, contributed to nationally published textbooks, and released his first book in August 2018, now a national bestseller in its 6th printing! With over 5 THOUSAND copies sold!!!

“OH CANADA! Our Home and Inventive Land”, is available in bookstores across the country and on his website!

Mark has been awarded and honoured as an educator across the country, and on Parliament Hill!

He has a fun and engaging presentation for us about his book on the history of Canadian inventors, inventions and firsts!