93rd Ottawa Conference | March 5th-6th 2025

Arctic Security | Indo-Pacific | Transatlantic Security Cooperation | Artificial Intelligence | NATO | Space | NORAD | Cyber | Laws of War | Great Power Competition

Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence

Save the Date: March 5-6, 2025

Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel (1 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8S7)

Celebrating its 93rd edition in 2025, the Ottawa Conference stands as Canada’s premier defence and security assembly. The conference centers its discussions around a wide spectrum of security and defence matters, orchestrating a sequence of impactful keynotes, presentations, and dialogues led by distinguished experts in the fields of security and defence from Canada and across the globe.

The audience consists of senior decision-makers in government, thought leaders in academia and civil society, and industry leaders. The event brings together Parliamentarians and reaches deep into the Department of National Defence, with a strong showing of general and flag officers. Many other key segments of government also attend from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council, Global Affairs Canada, PSPC, Treasury Board, Canadian Coast Guard, Public Safety, and over 20 other government departments and agencies.

The event is hosted in cooperation with the Department of National Defence and NATO. Participants include the Minister of National Defence, Senators, Parliamentarians, foreign dignitaries, senior civil servants, flag and general officers, academia and the business community. The event is also made public online and on cable television thanks to a partnership with Canada’s parliamentary cable network CPAC (no registration required to stream live). The event recording will also be available to view in the CPAC Video Archive following the event.

THEME: FROM POLICY TO ACTION IN AN UNPREDICTABLE WORLD

In 2024, the government announced Canada’s updated defence policy “Our North Strong and Free”. This year’s conference will use this as a launching pad to explore how Canada should invest, action, and prioritize in its quest to be a strong ally, a global player, and a nation that safeguards both its citizens and our collective national interest.  

The past year has seen considerable escalation in the middle east, a dangerous new collaboration between North Korea, Iran, and Russia, and greater division between the world’s autocratic states and liberal democracies as observed in trade wars, tension at the UN, violence in the high seas from East Asia to the Aden Strait. All the more disconcerting, democracies have been made fragile through disinformation campaigns, the intimidation of diasporas, a rising tide of illiberal politicians who are cultivating distrust in civic institutions, and a domino of recent coups d’états that have shattered political progress made in recent years throughout Northern Africa.

It is in this complex situation that Canada has increased its defence spending and has increasingly begun defining its role as part of the Northern and Western Flank of the NATO Alliance. What does this mean from a strategic perspective and how will we achieve the project of power in the high north, recognizing the difficulty of the challenge, the scale of the ambition, and the poor state of readiness, infrastructure and capacity with which to operate from?

The conference will be split into two thematic days – the first one to observe the state of the world and the state of Canada’s readiness within it. The outcome may be somewhat predetermined, but it will provide a sense of the scope of the problems we face relative to our power to influence them. With this in mind, we will embark on day two with our allies to envision a way forward that allows us to leverage the best Canada has to offer, but within a community of like-minded nations with whom to pool our resources and our common vision for a just, secure, and hopefully more predictable world order.

We encourage you to subscribe to the CDA Institute newsletter to stay informed on speaker announcements and the upcoming release of the Ottawa Conference agenda.

Stay onsite at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel: As an attendee of the Ottawa Conference, you have access to special room rates at the Chateau Laurier. Click here to book your accommodations. Please note this is a limited time offer.

Speakers

Full speaker list to be announced shortly. 
Click on speaker names to view their biographies.

Hon. BILL BLAIR, MP, PC

Minister of National Defence
Government of Canada

Gen M.A.J. JENNIE CARIGNAN,
CMM, MSC, MSM, CD

Chief of the Defence Staff
Canadian Armed Forces

Ms. STEFANIE BECK

Deputy Minister of National Defence
Department of National Defence

Mr. CHONGDAE WON

Acting Deputy Minister for Military Force Policy
Ministry of National Defense, South Korea

Adm Sir BEN KEY,
KCB, CBE, ADC

First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff
Royal Navy, United Kingdom

Col EVEYLON CORRIE MACK

Principal Deputy Legal Counsel
Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon

Gen GREGORY M. GUILLOT

Commander
United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command

Ms. NATHALIE DROUIN, Ad. E.

Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister
Government of Canada

Ms. CAROLINE XAVIER

Chief of Communications Security Establishment
Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE)

LGen SIMON STUART,
AO DSC

Chief of Army
Australian Army

VAdm JAN CHRISTIAN KAACK

Chief of the German Navy
Ministry of Defence, Germany

VAdm HERVÉ HAMELIN

Deputy Chief of Defence for International Relations
Le ministère des armées, France

LGen M.C. WRIGHT,
CMM, MMV, MSM, CD

Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff
Canadian Army

VAdm ANGUS TOPSHEE,
CMM, MSM, CD

Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy

Ms. JACQUELINE O’NEILL

Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security
Government of Canada

LGen (ret'd) JOHN (JACK) N.T. SHANAHAN

Former Director
US Department of Defence Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC)

BGen ROB HOLMAN, MSM, CD

Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Armed Forces
Canadian Armed Forces

Ms. KATE HIGGINS

Chief Executive Officer
Cooperation Canada

Ms. VINA NADJIBULLA

Vice-President, Research & Strategy
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Dr. JANE PINELIS

Chief AI Engineer
Johns Hopkins University

Prof. LAURIE R. BLANK

Professor of Law and Director of the International Humanitarian Law Clinic
Emory University School of Law

Ms. JACQUELINE TAME

Operating Partner, External Affairs
Playground Global (PG)

CDA Institute Sponsors

Showcase and connect with decision-makers by being a sponsor or exhibitor

You’ll receive complimentary registrations, gain onsite visibility, access consent to share lists, enjoy the convenience of a private meeting room, and leverage exceptional branding opportunities. Select sponsorship categories will include invitations to the Chairman’s Circle Reception.  This private cocktail is held the evening before the launch of the Ottawa Conference at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa on March 4, 2025 and welcomes the event’s most esteemed speakers, senior invitees, and sponsors.

Contact Jennifer Giguere at jennifer@cdainstitute.ca for full details.

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