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
Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel (1 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8S7)
Day 1: March 5th, 2025
Time
Session
Details
07:15-8:00
Coffee Meet & Greet and Registration
08:00-08:20
Words of Welcome
- Dr. Youri Cormier, Executive Director of the Conference of Defence Associations and the CDA Institute
- LGen (Ret’d) Guy Thibault, President of the Conference of Defence Associations and Chairman of the CDA Institute, Former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff
- Mike Hamilton, Chief Distribution Officer, SVP, RBC Insurance
08:20-09:00
Opening Keynote
Moderator:
- LGen (Ret’d) Guy Thibault, President of the Conference of Defence Associations and Chairman of the CDA Institute, Former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff
Speaker:
- The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence
09:00-10:00
Panel 1: The big picture for Canada
Convener:
- Brent Lindsay, Director, Federal Government Sales, Dataminr
Moderator:
- Trevor Neiman, Vice President & Legal Counsel at Business Council of Canada
Speakers:
- Nathalie G. Drouin, Ad. E., Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister
- Chief Caroline Xavier, The Chief of Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
- Daniel Rogers, Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
- To Be Announced.
10:00-10:30
Health Break
10:30-11:30
Panel 2: Emerging challenges to the Laws of War
Moderator:
- Brigadier-General Rob Holman, Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Armed Forces
Speakers:
- Professor Chris Jenks, Senior Law of War Advisor, Office of the Judge Advocate General, US Army
- Laurie Blank, Professor of Law and Director of the International Humanitarian Law Clinic, Emory University
- Colonel E. Corrie Mack, Principal Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States
11:30-12:30
Panel 3: Where and how to re-engage with Canada’s Defence, Diplomacy, and Development
Moderator:
- Robert Greenhill, Former Deputy Minister for International Cooperation
Speakers:
- Jacqueline O’Neill, Ambassador for Women Peace and Security
- Kate Higgins, Chief Executive Officer, Cooperation Canada
- Major-General (Ret’d) Denis Thompson, Fellow, Canadian Global Affairs Institute
12:30-14:00
Lunch break
14:00-14:45
Fireside chat with NORTHCOM / NORAD Commander
Convener:
- Lorraine Ben, Chief Executive at Lockheed Martin Canada
Moderator:
- General (Ret’d) Tom Lawson, Former Chief of the Defence Staff
Speaker:
- General Gregory M. Guillot, Commander NORTHCOM / NORAD
14:45-15:50
Panel 4: The Pace, Risks, and Opportunities of AI Deployment in Warfare
Convener:
- Ven Adamov, Partner, National Leader, Data & Analytics Risk Services at KPMG Canada
Moderator:
- Siegfried Usal, Vice President AI Strategy and Operational Deployment
Speaker:
- Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) John (Jack) N.T. Shanahan, Former Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center
- Jacqueline Tame, Operating Partner at Playground and the Acting Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Defense Group SVDG
- Dr. Jane Pinelis, Chief AI Engineer at the Applied Information Sciences Branch at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- To Be Announced.
15:50-16:20
Health Break
16:20-17:05
Fireside chat with the Chief of the Defence Staff
Convener:
- Shaun McEwan, President and CEO at ADGA Group
Moderator:
- LGen (Retd) Guy Thibault, President of the Conference of Defence Associations and Chairman of the CDA Institute, Former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff
Speaker:
- General M.A. Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, Canadian Armed Forces
17:05-17:25
Captain Nichola Goddard Leadership Award Ceremony
Laureate:
- Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, Vice President, Ottawa Operations and a Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute
Presenters:
- General M.A. Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, Canadian Armed Forces
- Nichola Goddard Family, represented by Kate Goddard
- Dan McCarroll, Vice President & Business Leader, Metro Supply Chain
17:30-20:00
Captain Nichola Goddard Evening Reception
Day 2: March 6th, 2025
Time
Session
Details
07:45-8:30
Morning Coffee & Networking
08:30-09:35
Panel 5: Protecting the Northern Flank of NATO: Strategic Implications
Convener:
- Oliver Burkhard, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
Moderator:
- Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Robert A. Davidson
Speakers:
- Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander, Royal Canadian Navy
- Admiral Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Navy
- Vice-Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Chief of the German Navy, Ministry of Defence
09:35-10:35
Panel 6: Addressing Global Threats – A Vision for Land Readiness
Convener:
- Karine Bibeau, VP Client Experience, Logistik Unicorp
Moderator:
- Brigadier-General (Ret’d) Chris Ayotte, Former Director General of Canadian Army Force Development
Speaker:
- Lieutenant-General Michael C. Wright, Commander of the Canadian Army
- Lieutenant-General Simon Stuart, Australian Chief of the Army
10:35-11:05
Health Break
11:05-12:05
Panel 7: Transatlantic Security
Moderator:
- Gordon Venner, Vice-Chair of the Board for the CDA Institute, Former Senior Associate Deputy Minister, Department of National Defence
Speakers:
- Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, General Director for Peace, Security and Defence at the EU External Action Service
- Scott Millar, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Department of National Defence
12:05-13:25
Lunch Break
13:25-14:30
Panel 8: Challenges and Readiness in the Indo-Pacific
Moderator:
- Richard Fadden, Former National Security & Intelligence Advisor
Speakers:
- Vice Amiral Hervé Hamelin, Deputy Chief of Defence for International Relations, Ministère des Armées
- Mr. Chongdae Won, Acting Deputy Minister for Military Force Policy, Ministry of National Defence, South Korea
- Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President, Research & Strategy, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
- Admiral Muhammad Ali, The Chief of Indonesian Navy
14:30-15:00
Fireside chat with the Deputy Minister of National Defence
Moderator:
- Gordon Venner, Vice-Chair of the Board for the CDA Institute; Former Senior Associate Deputy Minister, Department of National Defence
Speaker:
- Stefanie Beck, Deputy Minister of National Defence
15:00-15:30
Closing Panel
Moderator:
- Kevin Newman, Business Owner, Kevin Newman Live
Speaker:
- Yuliya Kovaliv, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada
15:30
Closing Remarks
- Dr. Youri Cormier, Executive Director of the Conference of Defence Associations and the CDA Institute
