Conference: CANADA AND THE NEW MIDDLE EAST

The NATO Council of Canada and the Advocates for Civil Liberties held a very successful conference on March 28 entitled ‘Canada and the New Middle East’. With over 350 people in attendance, this conference featured high-profile speakers such as Executive Director of CSIS Raymond Boisvert, RCMP Superintendent Doug Best, Former Senior Trade Commissioner Mike Ward and National Post Journalist Peter Goodspeed.

With a range of topics covered, the conference helped illuminate the challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s national interests in this volatile region. Set amidst the backdrop of the Arab Spring, our speakers discussed how Canada’s economic, political and security concerns should be addressed and reminded the audience of the importance to remain vigilant in our ongoing pursuit of peace, security and trade between Canada and the wider Middle Eastern region.

PANELS:
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Panel 1: CANADIAN ECONOMIC AND ENERGY INTERESTS IN THE NEW MIDDLE EAST

Panel 1 Video:

LAWRENCE SOLOMON: Columnist, Financial Post, Executive Director, Energy Probe

ANDY MAHUT: Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC)/Manager, Energy Practices, U.S. Steel Canada

MIKE WARD: Former Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner to Turkey

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Panel 2: CANADIAN NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE NEW MIDDLE EAST

Panel 2 Video:

RAYMOND BOISVERT: Assistant Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)

DOUG BEST: RCMP Superintendent and Head of the National Security Section

JOHN THOMPSON: International Security Intelligence Expert, Mackenzie Institute

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Panel 3: CANADA, IRAN AND THE ARAB SPRING

Panel 3 Video:

PETER GOODSPEED: Senior Reporter, International Affairs, National Post

RAMIN JAHANBEGLOO: Iranian Political Philosopher, University of Toronto Centre for Ethics

BOAZ GANOR: Executive Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism

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Panel 4: CANADA’S HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGES IN THE NEW MIDDLE EAST

Panel 4 Video:

NAZANIN AFSHIN-JAM: Iranian-Canadian human rights advocate, President, ‘Stop Child Executions’

RAHEEL RAZA: Author, human rights activist, Consultant for Interfaith and Intercultural Diversity

MARINA NEMAT: Best-selling author, human rights advocate, former political prisoner

Author

NATO Association of Canada

The mission of NATO Association of Canada is to promote peace, prosperity, and security through knowledge and understanding of the importance of NATO.

We strive to educate and engage Canadians about NATO and NATO’s goal of peace, prosperity and security. NATO Association of Canada ensures that we have an informed citizenry able to contribute to discussions about Canada’s role on the world stage.

As a leading member of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA), NATO Association of Canada has strong and enduring ties with sister organizations in many of the alliance countries, as well as members of NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” and “Mediterranean Dialogue” programmes. The NAOC has had a leading role in the recent transformation and modernization of the ATA, and helped to create and develop the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA).

The NAOC has strong ties with the Government of Canada including Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence. We are constantly working to create and maintain relationships with international organizations such as the World Bank Group, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, NATO Headquarters, the International Criminal Court, and other prominent international NGOs and think tanks.

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